Terminator: Searching for Serenity
by River2027
Summary: After destroying Skynet, John and Cameron travel into the future where a war is still being waged, not against machines but against the Alliance. A mistaken identity brings them face to face with the crew of Serenity and the dangerous passenger on board.
1. Spacelings Welcome Here

**Terminator: ****Searching for Serenity**

author: River2027

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Terminator or Firefly/Serenity except my copy of the DVDs.

setting: TSCC future; Serenity timeframe

genre: drama/adventure

rating: T

warning: Major Spoilers for Serenity and TSCC if for some horrible reason you have not seen them yet

summary: After destroying Skynet, John and Cameron time-travel into the future where a war is still being waged, not against the machines, but against a totalitarian regime known as the Alliance. A mistaken identity brings John and Cameron face to face with the crew of _Serenity_…and the dangerous passenger on board. Set during the events of Serenity.

_Chinese Translations:_

_Nee mun doh shr sagwa – Idiots, all of you_

**Terminator**

**Searching for Serenity**

**.  
**

**Chapter One:**

**Spacelings Welcome Here**

**U.S. Air Force Cyber Research System **

**California**

**April 19, 2011**

John Connor felt as if he was moving in slow motion, his entire body numb. He saw the command on the computer screen, the request to activate Skynet. He saw his mother, Sarah Connor, move towards it, to prevent the apocalypse from being initiated. And he saw the TX stalk forward, as if from nowhere, saw his mother stabbed straight through the chest with its liquid metal appendage.

His mouth opened in a scream.

"Noooooo!"

**Twenty Minutes Ago…**

Everything had been moving quickly for John Connor. An unforeseen chain of events had started with Riley's death and things hadn't stopped escalating from there. Charley's death, Derek's death… too much death. And finally, they'd reached this point – him, his mother, and Cameron – the only three survivors, on their way to the U.S. Air Force's Cyber Research System to destroy Skynet once and for all. Weaver, John Henry, Ellison, Danny Dyson, even the Turk and Kaliba, had all played a part to figure out exactly where and when Skynet started. And they had traced it to this day, this hour, inside CRS at the hands of General Robert Brewster.

It had been a long road, filled with pain and loss and death, but the end was finally in sight. "If this works, it's all over," he whispered, more to himself. "We'll have stopped Judgment Day."

"Don't celebrate yet, John," Sarah cautioned. "You know what's at stake."

John couldn't help the bitter scowl that came over his face. "I know," he said stonily. "I've already sacrificed everything else. Charley…. Riley… I know what we have to lose. I know the cost."

Sarah looked back at her son. His words hadn't been the whining complaint of a child, though she wouldn't have blamed him. Instead, they'd been firm, but full of loss. John was growing up, she knew. Faster than a boy his age should. He'd become a leader.

Sarah parked around the back of the CRS building, out of sight, and John hopped out, quickly grabbing his weapons belt from the backseat and strapping it on. He was already wearing a bulletproof vest and shrugged on a trenchcoat over top, covering his weapons.

Sarah had a vest on as well, slinging her Mp5 over her shoulder and chambering a round in her Glock. Cameron, of course, wore no vest at all. Seeing her take bullets without flinching always caused John to wince but he'd more than gotten used to it.

Sarah nodded at Cameron's 9mm. "You going to take out all the guards with that?"

"That's the plan," Cameron replied evenly.

John frowned as he looked over. He'd spent the last three years trying to teach Cameron how to be human – and that included a respect for human life. She still didn't completely understand his order not to kill anyone. "These people aren't evil. They don't understand what they're creating. They're not the monster that Skynet is. Remember what I told you."

"You said I couldn't kill anyone," Cameron replied. "You never said anything about kneecaps."

If the situation ahead wasn't so serious, John was sure he would have grinned. Instead, he merely turned his head to look at the entrance and the two guards at the door.

"I'll go first," John said. He didn't even wait for Sarah's okay before heading toward the entrance. Two CRS guards stopped him by the entrance, rifles in hand.

"Halt," the guard ordered. "This is a restricted area, what are you doing here?"

John didn't have time to play games, not with Skynet on the verge of being unleashed. He opened his trenchcoat wide, revealing the array of weapons strapped to his chest.

The guard's eyes widened. "Holy-."

Two shots rang out and both guards were suddenly on the ground, clutching their kneecaps and howling in anguish. Cameron came up behind John, lowering her pistol and looking satisfied.

John stepped forward, took the blunt end of his rifle and smashed it against both guard's heads, knocking them unconscious. He then reached down and grabbed a headset, sticking it on his ear.

They moved into the building, with Cameron leading the way – having internal images of the blueprints of the facility. They ventured down a long hall, passing by a room where John saw a row of machines lined inside.

"T-1's," Cameron reported.

John spun his gun over, but the T-1's appeared to be deactivated. He knew that would change if they failed to stop Brewster from activating Skynet.

"Tell me you brought the grenades, John," Sarah muttered. John slipped a grenade off his belt and tossed it into the room, closing the door again and covering his ears.

"Now they know we're here," he said, his tone not accusatory but merely resigned.

"Good," Cameron replied. "The distraction will hopefully delay Brewster from activating Skynet."

John gripped his gun tightly, glancing back down the hallway. "Where is he?"

"Just ahead," Cameron replied.

John followed her directions until they reached the heart of CRS. He burst into the door, guns in both hands, following behind Cameron as she took out several guards who foolishly reached for weapons. He surveyed the scene quickly, seeing the large computer systems in the room, the many scientists and engineers gathered, the computer screen demanding one query:

_Activate Skynet. Y/N_

General Brewster's hand was hovering over the keyboard.

"Don't!" John screamed.

Brewster's hand froze and he turned toward John with a look of alarm. John saw a flash of white from behind Brewster – a scientist, he realized. The scientist moved forward with deadly intent toward Brewster's back and by the time John recognized the danger, it was too late to shout a warning.

A liquid metal spike shoved through the General's back and John felt his heart catch in his throat. The scientist's skin rippled, revealing a female form in a red jumpsuit that John didn't recognize.

"TX," Cameron reported, ever calm in the face of danger. "She's here to ensure Skynet's creation."

Of course. It was just like Skynet to have a backup plan.

In the split second after the General was attacked, chaos broke out inside the room. Officers went for their guns, firing repeatedly – not at the Connors but at the metal monster that had just murdered their commanding officer.

John quickly went for a heavier weapon, whipping out his grenade launcher and popping in a grenade. He took aim at the TX and fired. The blast was enough to knock it backwards through the air, but it was on its feet again in an instant, seemingly undamaged. All the weapons of the officers in the rooms were ineffective against the machine and it paid them the same attention a human would give a gnat.

Out of the corner of his eye, John saw his mother lift her MP5, letting loose a flurry of bullets that the liquid metal absorbed. The TX lifted its arm and John saw the liquid metal ripple into some kind of cannon device. An instant later, a blast of plasma shot out of the TX's arm. Sarah sidestepped but the blast still managed to graze the end of her MP5, melting the barrel and rendering it useless.

Then the TX switched to its secondary weapon – which John soon found out was a flamethrower. The TX unleashed the fire, scorching everyone within ten feet. John shielded himself from the heat, feeling it blistering at his back.

In the next instant, Cameron snatched his grenade launcher from his hands, plunked a grenade inside and fired. Her aim was perfect, blowing the flamethrower to pieces. Having destroyed its weapon, Cameron thrust the grenade launcher back in John's arms and started forward to engage the TX in hand to hand combat.

"Everyone move!" John ordered. The hoard of scientists all fled to the doors, evacuating the room until only John, Sarah, Cameron, and the TX were left – along with the dead.

The TX shoved Cameron backwards, right into John, knocking him down and pinning him momentarily. John groaned and tried to move, but Cameron's deadweight was impossible to budge.

From his position on the floor beneath her, John strained to see what was happening. The TX, with two of her opponents out of the way, turned toward the computer with the command still on the screen:

_Activate Skynet. Y/N._

Before the machine could reach it, John saw his mother fly in, smashing the computer console with her ruined MP5. The TX never faltered, never stopped advancing.

By now, John had rolled to his knees but he was too far away to be of any help. He felt as if he was moving in slow motion.

"Mom, no! Look out!"

He saw her turn around but it was too late to dodge. The TX pierced its metal appendage through her chest.

John's mouth opened in a scream.

"_Noooooo_!"

He watched in utter shock and horror as the TX withdrew its hand, and Sarah crumpled to the floor. Then it turned toward him, having heard his scream. It started toward him but Cameron stepped between, ready to defend him.

At that point, the door burst open and a familiar flame-haired form appeared in the doorway.

_Weaver! _

The TX turned toward the new threat just in time to see Weaver extend her liquid metal arm to its max, spearing through the TX's chest and – as Weaver had calculated – its power cell as well.

The TX dropped to the ground, deactivated. John didn't even register it. Instead, he rushed to his mother's side, clutching her hand desperately.

"It's… okay, John," she murmured weakly. "You're…safe now."

John shook his head, tears running down his face. "Listen to me!" he pleaded. "You can't die. You can't die, I need you!"

Sarah's eyes closed. "I'm sorry, John…"

He knew. Some part of him, deep down, knew that – as tough as she was – this was one wound his mother wasn't walking away from. But neither was he willing to accept her fate.

"You can't give up!" he ordered, his voice strained. "You have to fight! There is no fate but what we make. Mom… mom, no…"

He could do nothing – nothing except watch as the last breath left her body. And with it came a numbness he'd never felt before. He'd seen death before, both with Riley and Derek. But he'd never felt as a great a loss as now.

He saw the display flashing on another screen, the Skynet command still waiting. John stood up stonily, stalked over to the computer and pressed the button to delete Skynet from the system. He should have felt relief, victory, peace. But all he felt was an empty hole in his chest.

Cameron came up to his side, looking sympathetic. "It'll be okay, John. It's not your fault."

"No," he agreed, his voice dull. His eyes flashed over to Weaver. "It's not." Weaver looked up, her face expressionless as always. He couldn't keep the contempt from his voice. "You should have been here sooner…"

One minute sooner and he wouldn't have had to witness his mother die in his arms.

Weaver simply responded, "You should be happy I arrived at all."

John curled his lip and stormed aside, ignoring both Weaver and Cameron's attempts to help console him. But neither of them understood, not truly. Both were machines, as much as John so badly wanted to believe otherwise. Not even Cameron could heal the hole in his heart left by his mother.

_There's always a price to pay_.It was always true. This time, the cost had been his mother's life. Such a steep price. And for what?

To prevent Skynet from being activated.

At least for now.

But had it actually changed anything? Had it made that much of a difference? Or had they merely postponed it again? Was there ever any stopping it?

Or had all those deaths made no difference at all. Had Riley, Jesse, Charley, Derek, Sarah… all died in vain? In a fruitless quest to prevent Skynet?

He turned around, all the anger drained from his posture and his face. Instead, there was only sorrow, only pain. He glanced from Cameron to Weaver. "Was it worth it?" he whispered. "Did we do it? Did we change the future?"

"I don't know," Weaver responded. "But there's only one way to find out."

**Zeira Corp**

**Basement**

John entered the basement, instantly spotting some computer equipment that resembled the first TDE he'd ever seen – the one in the bank vault in 1999.

"You have your own time machine," John stated, his voice slightly accusatory. He still didn't completely trust Weaver, even if she had created John Henry to counter Skynet.

Slowly his thoughts turned from Weaver to the TDE itself. If she had a time machine, he could go back in time, prevent his mother's death. But what if they _had_ stopped Skynet this time? Could he take that risk? What if the next time he tried to change the future, something went wrong and Skynet won?

"What will you do?"

"What do you mean?" John retorted bitterly.

"If her sacrifice stopped Skynet," Cameron stated. "Will you still go back and prevent her death?"

John opened his mouth and shut it quickly. "I don't know."

Neither Cameron nor Weaver attempted to entice any further conversation out of him. Instead, Weaver went over to the machine and started programming it.

"What date?" Cameron asked.

"2027," John said. "That's the year you're from. We'll be able to tell right away if Skynet's still in control."

Weaver started the machine and stepped backwards as the time bubble grew. John stood close to Cameron inside the circle, taking a deep breath, trying to prepare for what he would find when they arrived.

It felt like the last time he had time jumped, back in 1999. Brilliant white light, an intense wave of pain, and suddenly he felt the cold ground beneath him.

The brightness faded and John found himself kneeling on the ground in the dark. He struggled to his feet, wincing and shivering. He glanced over at Cameron who was still crouched on the ground, showing no signs of pain or cold. _Must be nice, _he thought grimly.

He glanced around, barely recognizing the interior of Zeira Corp. _Cameron was right, _John thought. _Same where, different when. _He quickly grabbed a pair of clothes and shrugged them on, with Cameron following suit.

There was only one way to know if Skynet had in fact been defeated. He had to get to the surface, see if the nuclear war had occurred, see if Judgment Day had happened.

He scrambled up the stairs to the main level and burst through the front doors of Zeira Corp…

And stopped in his tracks.

Everything was bare – dry and brown, as if nothing living had grown there in a long time. He half-expected a tumbleweed to blow by. Wasn't this LA? What was this?

John's lips parted. "Cameron… wha-."

"It's not nuclear," she reported, answering his unspoken question.

John stared across the landscape. If Judgment Day hadn't happened, then what had caused this? Why was everything dead? And where were all the people?

"Do you see anyone?" he asked.

Cameron was silent for a moment, no doubt running thermal scans, searching for any living creature. "No," she replied. "Nothing. Not even plants or animals."

"What happened here?" John whispered.

"Everything appears to be dead."

"So… Skynet _won_? It destroyed all life?"

Before she could reply, John heard a low whine, then a steady roar of an aircraft.

"Not all life," Cameron replied eerily.

John listened closely. "Is that an airport?" There hadn't been one in this area before, but if this was the future…

He and Cameron made their way in that direction, following the sound of the roaring engine. The airport in question was much smaller than John had anticipated. This was still California for crying out loud. As they approached, John's breath caught in his throat. Those weren't airplanes

In fact, they looked more like spaceships.

John swallowed hard and glanced around. Across the way, a squad of what looked like soldiers were being transported on some kind of roofless craft. And it was hovering above the ground. Stretching across the windows were holograms that kept flipping to different screens. If John hadn't known better, he would have thought he'd stepped into a sci-fi movie.

"Cameron…" he breathed. "How far into the future did we travel?"

Cameron, too, seemed puzzled by the superior technology. "It should have been only twenty years, though there could have been a temporal error."

"Temporal error?" John repeated.

"We could have arrived at the wrong point in the timeline."

"The wrong time?" John questioned. "Or the wrong future?"

The squad of soldiers on the hovercraft seemed to be looking over at John and Cameron, and John instinctively averted his gaze, trying to appear innocent. He cast a quick glance back over to see one of the soldiers speaking frantically into his communicator.

"Let's go," John hissed at Cameron. Maybe inside they could find out what was going on here.

As he turned to leave, another small squad of soldiers appeared around the other corner, aiming their guns at both John and Cameron.

"River Tam, surrender!" the lead soldier ordered.

John's brow furrowed. "What?" What the heck was River Tam? Was that a name? Some kind of code?

It was then he realized that the guards were mostly speaking to Cameron. "Put your hands up!" the soldier ordered. "You are under arrest!" He hit a button on his communicator. "We have River Tam and her brother, sir. What's the order?"

John was about to protest that they had the wrong people but the soldier nodded and signaled to his squad. "Take 'em alive!"

Cameron moved faster than John had, placing herself between him and the soldiers and charged forward. The first officer swung his rifle but Cameron grabbed it and snapped it out of his grip, tossing it back to John.

He lifted the weapon, staring at it hesitantly. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen or used before. It was clearly a gun but he could never have said what kind. Hoping for the best, he aimed and fired at the squad.

A laser bolt shot out, knocking one soldier to the ground. John grinned and aimed for the next.

Cameron, meanwhile, was making short work of the squad up close. She managed to avoid most of the laser blasts, and what bolts did hit merely seared her clothes and skin, not affecting her in the slightest. Even when the soldiers from the hovercraft came to help, Cameron was still able to drop them all without much exertion.

When only one soldier remained standing, Cameron grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall, pinning him there. John stepped up, staring at the soldier with his eyes burning.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Alliance," the soldier replied. "You are a fugitive of the-."

"Save it," John growled. Cameron's hand tightened on the soldier's collar, cutting off his sentence. "What day is it? What year?"

The man seemed confused. "2518."

John felt the air leave his lungs. "Twenty…" They'd jumped over five_ hundred _years into the future? "Wh-where are we?"

The soldier was now looking at John like he was delusional. "Earth-That-Was."

"Earth that what?" John repeated.

"Was."

"Was what? What are you _talking_ about?"

The soldier scowled and muttered under his breath. "_Nee mun doh shr sagwa." _

John swung his commandeered rifle, smashing the guard in the side of the head. The man dropped hard to the ground, and John stared down, gritting his teeth. "Not sure what he said but I'm guessing it wasn't nice."

"It was Chinese," Cameron reported. "And you're right."

"About what?"

"It wasn't nice."

**Operative's Warship **

**Deep Space**

The Operative stared silently into space, awaiting word. An Alliance officer entered nervously, no doubt bringing less than joyous news. "Sir, we have word from our station on Earth-That-Was."

Normally such news would be dismissed or taken to one of a lesser position to take care of. But if the Alliance officer was bothering him with this – knowing how important his true assignment was – it had to have some sort of significance.

"Yes, what about it?" the Operative asked.

"It's about River Tam, sir."

The Operative gave a long pause, calculating that information. "River Tam is on Earth-That-Was?" What would her purpose be in going there? Earth-That-Was was a wasteland, a desolate place of death and destruction, its once thriving empire gone, its life extinguished and its waters turned brown.

"She was with a young man," the Alliance officer continued. "We lost them."

_Ah, a young man. _"Her brother, no doubt," the Operative mused.

"She took out twenty of our men."

At this the Operative stopped and slowly turned to face the Alliance officer, his face deadly serious. "She killed them? Has the code been broadwaved to trigger her?"

The man shook his head. "No sir."

The Operative remained silent for a long moment. "Then she has become more dangerous than I'd first imagined. Broadwave the code now. I want her found."

"Yes sir."

As the officer departed, the Operative picked up a picture from the desk – the picture of his target, the fugitive River Tam. Then he looked down at his computer screen as it showed a movie image of Earth-That-Was. Not for the first time, the Operative wondered aloud.

"What are you doing there, little girl?"

* * *

_author's note: Well, here's the debut chapter. :) I hope you enjoyed it and, as always, I'd love to hear what you think! _


	2. From Here to Serenity

_Author's note: Well, it seems like you guys enjoyed the first chapter. I hope you like this one just as well, with the BDHs reaction to Cameron. :)_

_The Silent Man - It was going to press 'Y' but Sarah stopped it._

* * *

_Chinese Translations:_

_ yu bun duh – stupid_

_Lao tyen yeh - Geez_

_jing-tsing myung duh - consistently useless_

_Wo bu shin wo dah yan jing! - I don't believe my eyes_

**Chapter Two:**

**From Here to Serenity**

John stared around the spaceport, seeing a couple spaceships parked on the brown desert floor. He wasn't sure whether he and Cameron should board one or not. Was it better to stay here on his own planet, though barren and lifeless? Or should he try to find out what had happened in the five hundred years since he'd been here?

"Which one do you think we should take?" he asked Cameron, glancing at the three ships he could see. Two seemed to be grander than the third, which seemed more beaten down, like it belonged to scavengers or such.

"Look at the insignia on the bigger ships," Cameron pointed out.

John squinted at the side of the ship, recognizing the symbol. "It's the same as on the uniform of the soldiers who attacked us." He nodded in understanding. "I doubt we'd be welcome there."

He turned to the last ship, the smaller and less impressive one. "Guess that leaves this one," he observed.

He and Cameron approached the ship until he could make out the name on the side: _Forager_. As he approached the entrance ramp, he saw a man standing there who seemed to be dressed in clothing resembling outfits worn in old Western movies John had seen.

"I guess the style came back," he murmured.

The man was calling out orders to a group of crew members and other people scattered around the area.

"Last boarding call for Beaumonde!" he called.

"Anything's better than this place," John said with a shrug. "Maybe we can find some information about what has happened in the last five hundred years."

He and Cameron stepped forward towards the loading ramp, but the man stopped him by holding out an arm. He extended a hand. "Coin?"

John frowned. "What?"

The man snarled. "Pay up, _yu bun duh_."

"John's not stupid," Cameron stated.

John started. "Wait, what did he call me?"

"This ain't a free ride," the man scowled. "You ain't part of this crew so either you pay the ruttin' coin or get lost."

John shoved the barrel of his rifle in the man's face. "You might want to reconsider that," he asked.

The man must have seen the intense look in John's eye because he hastily held up his hands and backed off a bit. "Okay, climb aboard. But don't be causing no trouble or I'll call the Feds."

"Unlikely," Cameron replied. "Your ship is full of secret compartments. You won't want the Feds to know you're a smuggler."

The man curled his lip again, but nodded. "Fine. Get on."

As he hurried away, John heard him mumble something under his breath, again in Chinese.

He shook his head. _What in the world _is _this place? _

"How'd you know about the compartments?" he asked Cameron. "X-ray vision?"

"Something like that," she replied.

He shrugged and stepped up into the ship.

**Deep Space**

**The **_**Forager**_

John and Cameron had found a place with some other passengers. John instantly discovered that flying in a spaceship was extremely different from flying in a plane. They were allowed complete freedom, able to move about the ship at will.

"Is there a computer or something we could use?" he asked the captain when he passed by. "Internet or something?"

"Internet?" The captain raised an eyebrow. "_Lao tyen yeh, __w_hat age did you come from?"

"I don't know," John replied honestly.

"You can get on the Cortex," the captain replied, gesturing across the room. "We don't need on there time being, so help yourself."

John nodded once and moved to the computer, allowing Cameron to sit down in the chair as he stood behind her.

"What would you like to know?" she asked.

"First do a search for Skynet," John told her.

Cameron did so, but her search yielded nothing.

"Try Judgment Day."

Again, there were no results. John sat back, processing that information. Cameron voiced the conclusion first, "We changed the future."

"Yeah…" John muttered. "But to what?"

Cameron pulled up a history file and hit the play button. John watched as a movie began playing and a woman's voice came out of the speakers.

"Earth-That-Was could no longer sustain our numbers, we were so many. We found a new solar system, dozens of planets and hundreds of moons. Each one terraformed – a process taking decades- to support human life. To become new Earths. Being the two greatest world powers, China and the United States became the ruling powers and merged, as did their languages, to form the Alliance. Ruled by an interplanetary Parliament, the Alliance was a beacon of civilization. The savage outer planets were not so enlightened and refused Alliance control. The war was devastating. But the Alliances victory over the Independents ensured a safer universe. Now everyone can enjoy the comfort and enlightenment of true civilization."

"That explains the Chinese we've been hearing," John muttered. "Look up the war." His eyes remained fixed on the screen as the information flashed in front of his eyes.

"The Independents wanted their freedom and the Alliance didn't like it," he gathered. "Right there. We did this."

Cameron nodded solemnly. "Because Skynet did not take over and initiate Judgment Day, the human population grew beyond Earth's capacity. They were forced to expand or die."

"But this Alliance… It's an empire, a totalitarian regime that's in control of everything." Had they traded one evil for another?

"Cameron… what have we done?"

**Beaumonde**

**The **_**Forager**_

"Here we are!" the _Forager's _captain announced.

John and Cameron came up from their passenger quarters, following the crowd of crew members and passengers out of the ship. John glanced around their docking place. Beaumonde was filled with crowds of people – people of all kinds. Barkers were calling out from their ships, merchants were selling in the streets, and a few drunk people were stumbling out of a bar.

Nearby, John heard a smooth-talking man addressing a couple standing near the loading ramp of a ship.

"Hey pretty lady, leave him and come with me…"

"My wife is not pretty!" the husband protested.

John continued looking around, almost awestruck at the futuristic appearance of this world. His eyes landed on a small squad of Alliance officers and he quickly ducked his head.

"Great," he muttered. "There's no escaping these guys."

"We should find a new ship," Cameron suggested.

John glanced around at the closest ship, where the couple had been standing. He saw the name painted on the side, with a Chinese symbol behind it: _Serenity. _

"Sounds like a good place," John mused. "And it looks junky enough to not attract attention but still good enough to hold together. Let's go see about hitching a ride…"

**Beaumonde**

**Shipping Dock **

Malcolm Reynolds started down the ramp of _Serenity, _the bag with Fanty and Mingo's share of the coin slung over his shoulder. As he stepped down, he unconsciously scanned the crowds of people that were milling about. But there was one figure standing off to the side that caught his eye and caused him to start.

What was River doing out here? Had she not just been in the ship? He'd specifically told her to stay put until he brought back "her share of the bounty" as her _jing-tsing myung duh _brother had so kindly put it.

He approached her with the intention of sending her right back into _Serenity'_sbelly. "River, what are you doing outside?" he demanded.

River cocked her head to the side, staring at him in confusion. "My name is Cameron."

Mal worked his jaw, staring at her blankly for a long moment. _Gorram girl's forgot her own name… _He turned and called back into the ship. "Kaylee!"

Less than twenty seconds later, his mechanic appeared at the ramp, looking less than her usual cheerful self ever since the Doc had decided to up and jump ship. "Yeah, Cap'n?"

"Get the Doc," Mal ordered. "River's gone all psycho again."

Kaylee's eyes danced from River to Mal, but she nodded. "Aye aye, Cap'n."

She disappeared back into the ship and Mal turned back to River who hadn't seemed to have moved a muscle. A young man stepped up from behind her and for the first time Mal noticed that he seemed to know River. He was young, but his eyes… his eyes held a fire Mal had never seen in one so young. Kinda reminded Mal of himself once upon a time. Before the war, that is.

"And who might you be?" Mal questioned. And what the heck was he doing with River?

The young man stood up straighter. "I'm John Connor."

Mal raised an eyebrow at the kid's tone. "That supposed to mean something to me?"

John's shoulders sagged slightly, as if he felt defeated. "I don't know. It does to just about everyone else."

Before Mal could interrogate him further, Simon appeared at the entrance, worried eyes locking on his sister.

"River?"

River simply stared at him, puzzled. She also seemed to be doing an exceptional job at controlling her emotions, which Mal definitely found to be an oddness. Or a miracle. "Doc, your sister's having a bit of a psychotic episode. Why don't you take her inside while I go about my business?"

"My name is Cameron," River repeated.

"It's true," John insisted.

Simon looked at John with confusion. "Who are you?"

"John Connor."

By now the entire crew seemed to be gathered at _Serenity'_s entrance, wondering what the trouble with River was. Mal glanced back at them momentarily. Jayne…Wash…Zoe…River…

_River?_

Mal's jaw dropped as he turned back to…erm…the _other_ River. "_Wo bu shin wo dah yan jing!_"

Everyone turned at his outburst, finally noticing that there appeared to be _two _River Tams in the vicinity.

For a moment everyone just stared – including both Rivers. Predictably, it was Jayne who broke the silence.

"Gorrammit, Mal…now we got two crazy persons on the ship?"


	3. Nowhere is Ever Safe

_AJ-JC - It'll mostly follow the Serenity storyline, but obviously with John and Cameron in the picture, there's going to be some twists. _

* * *

_Chinese Translations:_

_ tyen shiao duh - name of all that's sacred_

_Duh-ning mah - hold on a second_

_ze zhen shi ge kwai le de jing jun - this is a happy development_

_Jen dao mei - just our luck_

_Shi ma? - is that so?_

_Pee-goo - butt_

_Nee-yow wuh-kai chang? - You want a bullet in your throat?_

_dong ma? - understand?_

**Chapter Three:**

**Nowhere is Ever Safe**

**Beaumonde**

**Shipping Docks**

No one had moved a muscle since River had stepped out, and John simply stared at her, his mouth open, his brain working overtime trying to understand what was happening. That girl – River – could be Cameron's twin. His first instinct had screamed _Terminator_! As if Skynet had made another copy of Cameron and had it running around five hundred years in the future. Which made no sense anyway because in this future Skynet didn't exist.

Jayne was still staring from River to Cameron with his eyebrows narrowed and his brow furrowed. "This whole situation is giving me an uncomfortableness," he muttered. "Doc, you got another twin sister you ain't told us about?"

Simon seemed as shocked as the rest. "No, I don't…River…do you know them?"

River smiled mysteriously, her eyes on John and Cameron. "It's a baby bird."

Simon frowned. "What?"

"Baby bird," River repeated, her voice dropping into more of a whisper. "Fell out the nest, parents left, killed. Two by two..."

John quirked an eyebrow and leaned over to whisper to Cameron. "She's crazier than you are."

Simon apparently overheard and turned to John, his face red with anger. "Hey, this is my sister you're talking about!" he snapped.

John was about to open his mouth to retort but River was still going on with her bizarre rant. "Two by two," she whispered, her eyes locking on his, then moving to Cameron. "Eyes of blue…"

John glanced out of the corner of his eye at Cameron. Both he and Cameron had brown eyes, unless she was talking about Cameron's glowing cyborg ones. But how could she possibly know about-.

Mal seemed to have just about enough of the whole situation. "What in the _tyen shiao duh_ is she saying?"

River smiled. "Baby bird can fly home now."

Understanding dawned on Simon and his face twisted. "Wait, River…are you…are you the baby bird?"

"Simon," she said, still smiling slightly. "Smart bird."

Simon took that to mean he was correct. "Baby bird fell out of the nest," he repeated. "Parents left… but… our parents didn't leave you, River. You were taken."

River shook her head and Mal let out an exasperated sigh.

"This is just all manner of confusing. Can we wrap this up? Some of us poor workin' folk have business to take care of and twins with crazy minds tend to draw attention that we don't need."

John still felt completely lost – both in the conversation and among the crew. But Simon seemed to have figured out River's words. "River… are you saying… these are…your parents?"

John took an involuntary step back. "What? You mean…me and… _Cameron_? That's impossible. She's not even-."

"But…they're just kids…" Simon protested.

"Time means nothing," River replied with an air of superiority. "Swirling nothingness, many futures. Timeless."

Mal gave her a blank look. "Huh?"

Finally something River said made sense to John. "We…uh… we time traveled here," he admitted. Though how she had known that was still a mystery to him.

"Gorram…" Jayne muttered.

Kaylee blinked. "Wow. That's a new one."

Wash held up a hand. "_Duh-ning mah_. Time travel? That sounds like science fiction."

Cameron nodded towards _Serenity_. "You live in a spaceship."

Wash shrugged in a "so what?" kind of way. Simon had been ignoring all other conversation entirely, staring at River with pain in his eyes.

"If that's true…then this means… I'm not your brother."

River looked at him sympathetically. "Blood doesn't make a family. You'll always be my brother, Simon. Just born different."

He gave her a half-hearted smile.

Ever cheerful Kaylee looked thrilled with the reunion, strange though it was. Wash and Zoe just seemed resigned. Jayne was still eyeing both Cameron and River with annoyance and suspicious. John still had little idea what was going on.

Mal let out a breath. "Oh, _ze zhen shi ge kwai le de jing jun_."

Jayne curled his lip. "My muscular butt it is," he grumbled in response. "_Jen dao mei_ us gettin' _two_ crazies on the ship." He continued muttering, more to himself. "All whimsical in the brainpan. Belong in a bughouse…"

"Shut up," Mal ordered off-hand. He glanced down at John. "Well, if you're with River, you can be on your merry way. They was just leavin'."

John frowned. If River was being hunted by the Alliance – and if he and Cameron's run in at the spaceport on Earth was any indication, they were – why would she and Simon want to leave _Serenity? _"Why?" he voiced aloud.

"Questionin' orders," Mal said simply.

John looked from Simon to River. Simon averted his eyes and River simply stared at him curiously. John found it unnerving. But the main thing was, he could tell that she and Simon weren't leaving on their own accord.

"So you abandon them?" John protested. "With the Alliance on their tail?"

"I'm glad someone's on their side," Zoe spoke up from the corner.

"Hey, mind your place, Zoe," Mal retorted.

Zoe glanced away. "Yes, Captain."

Mal turned back to John, his eyes holding an accusation. "I never told you Alliance was after 'em."

"You didn't have to," John shot back. "We ran into them back on Earth. They thought Cameron was River and tried to arrest her."

Mal snorted, uncaring. "You're lucky you escaped without gettin' riddled with holes."

John ignored the captain's decidedly sadistic sense of humor. "Why do they want her? What makes her so special?"

Mal looked at River once before replying, "She's a Reader."

John waited, expecting an explanation that never came. "Okay… a reader? Like go to the library, pick out a book?"

"No, _mind_ reader," Zoe corrected. "Psychic."

_Psychic? Who would have thought? _"Bet that comes in handy."

Simon's eyes blazed. "_Don't _give him any more ideas! He's already almost got her killed on the last job!"

John sensed a lot of hostility in Simon's tone – directed not at him but at Mal. "Sorry."

"At least they's finally disembarkin'," Jayne cut in, fingering his knife. "Girl's as crazy as a Reaver."

Kaylee was quick to protest. "That ain't so!" she exclaimed. "You just don't like her because she can read your mind and everything you think is mean."

Jayne shrugged. "Well there is that."

Wash held up a hand. "Not to break up this wonderfully inspiring family reunion and exchanging of insults but, Mal, we still going to the Maidenhead?"

Mal's head snapped up as if he'd just remembered something important. "Yes. Right." He turned to John. "I got me some business to take care of, so why don't you and your little River clone-."

"What kind of business?" John interrupted.

Mal smirked. "None o' yours."

John glanced at the bag that was now sitting at Mal's feet. No doubt it contained money of some kind from whatever business Mal operated. _If it was legit, he would have told me, _John reasoned.

"This ship," Cameron spoke up, tilting her head as she studied _Serenity. _"It's a mid-bulk transport. Standard Radion Accelerator core. Class code 03-K64-Firefly."

John started. "How the _heck_ would you know that?"

"I was reading the Cortex on the trip over," she replied, reminding him, "I don't sleep."

Mal pursed his lips. "So, a psychic and an insomniac. Like mother like daughter, I see."

John still hadn't worked out the whole him and Cameron being parents issue, or how it was even possible. Or if River was just spouting nonsense like she had been ever since he met her.

Cameron ignored Mal completely. "Firefly is an obsolete design, mostly used by smugglers because of all the secret compartments inside the ship."

"Smuggling, huh?" John repeated, glancing around at _Serenity's _crew. "You're thieves, aren't you?"

He saw Kaylee cringe. "Well-," she began, drawing out the word.

"We're not thieves!" Mal protested indignantly. He faltered. "Well, we are, but this is a perfectly legitimate business enterprise."

John looked disgusted. "I may not be from around here but I'm not stupid. You're not fooling anyone."

Mal took a step closer, his face hardening. "I look out for me and mine. That means honest and dishonest jobs. Gotta ship to run, you know, and if you don't like it you'd best find yourself a new ride, kid."

John decided it wasn't the best time to get worked up about the "kid" comment. "I wasn't complaining," he said truthfully. "I—we're somewhat of fugitives ourselves."

"Great," Mal said sarcastically. "Last thing we need is more Alliance targets."

"Well, we're not really Alliance targets," John amended. "We… don't really exist in this timeline."

Mal wasn't fazed. "But you look like River here. That makes you a target. Which is problematic for me and everyone else on this here boat."

"We can be an asset," John insisted. "I… I'm a soldier. I've been trained from birth and she's…" He hesitated, wondering how much about Cameron he should reveal. "Well… how many people do you know who can hit a target with their eyes closed?"

"Just one," Kaylee spoke up, pointing to River.

John leaned over to Cameron. "Hmm… I guess she gets that from you," he joked.

River smiled mysteriously and for some reason it sent a chill of John's spine. "No power in the 'verse can stop me."

John found himself unable to hold her gaze. It was strangely… disconcerting. But as sure as he knew anything, he knew this: this was the closest link he had – to his past, his future, everything. He needed to stay on _Serenity. _

He needed to discover the truth.

**Beaumonde**

_**Serenity**_

Mal crossed his arms as he stood on his ship, watching John and Cameron. Having two more Alliance targets on board _Serenity _certainly wouldn't be doin' favors for anyone. Leavin' em both in Beaumonde with the Doc and River seemed to be the best strategy. He'd already said Simon and River could stay put on the ship until he brought back River's share of the coin and until then, the way he figured it, John and Cameron would be hanging out on _Serenity _as well.

"Gettin' awful crowded on my boat," he murmured.

"Sir?"

Zoe's voice startled Mal from his inner monologue. "Oh, Zoe, didn't see you there."

"Sorry, sir," she replied evenly. "I'll make sure I turn off my cloaking device next time."

"No need," Mal said with a quick smile. "Can't fool me twice." He nodded towards John and Cameron. "What do you make of them?"

"They seem alright to me, sir."

"You believe their story? About the, you know, time travel?"

"I've seen weirder," Zoe replied. "Mostly on this ship."

Mal hadn't taken his eyes off the two passengers. John was strong-willed and defiant – much like Mal himself. And Mal knew that could be dangerous. The other girl – Cameron or whatever her name was – hadn't expressed interest one way or another. Hadn't even seem very fazed when River had made her big grand reveal. John had seemed blown away, and yet, Mal had seen the way he behaved around Cameron, the way he looked at her. It wasn't far fetched to believe the two of them got together some time in the future. Or the past…Whatever…

"Keep an eye on them," he ordered Zoe. "Either of them gets nosy, just… you know what to do."

Zoe quirked an eyebrow. "No, sir, I really don't."

Mal shrugged. "You know. Just… shoot 'em."

"Shoot 'em sir?" Zoe repeated, as if trying to determine if he was serious or not. "You know they're supposedly River's parents, right?"

"Yeah, you know I heard that somewhere."

"And you don't think that means anything?"

"I surely do," Mal said seriously. "It means we shoot 'em politely."

Zoe stared at him for a long moment. "I was actually lookin' forward to a nice hot meal with my man."

"_Shi ma?_"

"It is."

Mal nodded his consent. "Alright, then. We'll leave the guard dog. Jayne!"

Jayne stepped forward, looking up questioningly.

"You're staying on the ship," Mal ordered.

"Aw-."

Cameron was apparently close enough to overhear the conversation because she studied Jayne, cocking her head again, something Mal had noticed was a habit of hers. "Jayne is a girl's name," she remarked.

Mal thought Jayne's face was about to burst like a grape. "No, it ain't!" he snarled.

Mal rolled his eyes. "Jayne, go play with your rain stick." He turned to John. "Look, maybe you outta just go wait for Simon and River elsewhere."

He started down the ramp again, aware of John's footsteps quickly following. "Listen," the young man protested. "We don't know anything about this planet or… this entire solar system. We just need someplace to stay to figure things out. I told you we can be an asset."

Mal turned around, getting a mite annoyed. "Asset like how? Cuz you can shoot? Cuz I'd say our problems are a bit tougher than a green like you can handle." He nodded towards Cameron, who had rejoined them at John's side. "As I said, your girlfriend here looks like a wanted criminal."

"I'm a leader," John said strongly. "That's who I am, it's what I do."

Mal couldn't deny that John definitely had leader qualities. But he was just a kid. "What have you ever done that's so gorram important?"

John opened his mouth to speak, then stopped, as if he realized he hadn't done anything at all. "Nothing…"

Cameron looked indignant. "John Connor is the leader of mankind in the war against Skynet."

"No, there _is_ no Skynet!" John shouted at her. "It doesn't exist here, it never existed! _You_ never existed. This isn't our world, this isn't our future!"

Whatever Skynet was, Mal guessed it wasn't good. "Sounds like a better future than the one you had."

John looked to Cameron. "Is it?"

Mal chuckled. "Boy, you're about as whimsical in the brainpan as little River."

John's head snapped up at the mention of River's name. "All I know is that this crew – and River – is the only link I have to anything familiar. If River is…the daughter of John in this future, whatever… I…I feel a connection to her. I need to help her."

"Tell you what," Mal proposed. "You can help her get her crazy little _pee-goo_ off my boat."

John's eyes flashed. "You're just gonna turn them loose? What about the Alliance? If they catch her—."

Mal shrugged nonchalantly. "That ain't my worry. We took 'em in and sheltered 'em plenty. Doc made his call, it was his idea to leave. Don't get tetchy."

"If this world is as dangerous as what I've heard, they won't last long," John said, his voice low. "You know that. You could help them, you could fight the Alliance."

_Fight the Alliance. _A shadow crossed Mal's face and he turned away. "No," he said firmly. "This is not something I wish to be discussing."

John's eyebrows narrowed. "You're not a hero."

That was something Mal could agree with. "Hero is someone who gets other folk killed. Ask Zoe."

John was fuming. "You know what? I may never have truly become the leader I was supposed to here in this timeline, but you're not much of a leader either!"

Mal turned around at that, looking the young man square in the eyes and having half a mind to put a bullet in his brainpan. "What would you know about that?"

"A leader is someone who _believes_ in something strongly enough to fight for it," John replied. "You obviously believed that at some point because you fought in that war." Mal's lip curled at the mention of the war, but John pressed on, his voice rising as he did. "But you've lost that. You don't care about anyone but yourself!"

Mal slammed his hand into the side of the ship. "_Nee-yow wuh-kai chang?_"

John's lip curled and his eyes blazed as he shouted, "I don't even know what that means!"

Mal stiffened but John didn't even flinch. Mal had had just about enough of this wise guy. "Now listen here," he commanded. "I'm going in to conduct my business. When I get back on this boat, you two'd better be gone, _dong ma?_"

"What if we're not?" John questioned angrily. "Gonna toss us out the airlock?"

"Can you conjure up a terribly compelling reason for me not to?" He turned to Zoe, feeling his gaze burning with intensity. "Get them off my boat."

**Beaumonde**

_**Serenity**_

Mal was already off to conduct his business. Simon and River were gathering up their belongings, getting ready to leave as soon as Mal came back with River's pay.

John had sat down on Serenity's ramp as soon as Mal had left, with Cameron remaining dutifully at his side. He remained silent for the longest time, trying to come up with what to say. "I don't understand," he admitted finally. "Do you know anything about this? About River, I mean. And… _us. _How is that possible?"

"It's possible that the John Connor in this timeline was with my template, Allison Young at some point in this past," Cameron replied.

"Would that explain how she's your identical twin?"

Cameron considered. "It's also possible that she was cloned. Grown using the genetic material of Allison Young and Future-You."

John winced. "Okay, that's weird. But I guess it could make sense. If I was with you, we wouldn't have been able to have kids, so that would be the only way." He shook his head. "This stuff really messes with your head… Maybe I don't want to know."

"I don't think we'll ever know for sure."

"At any rate, River thinks we're her parents."

"Her mental state is clearly deteriorating."

"Maybe not deteriorating. Just…" He hesitated, searching for the right word. "…complex," he said finally.

River and Simon came back into the cargo bay, followed by a deeply depressed Kaylee. She seemed to be in the middle of giving Simon some advice.

"Don't talk to the barkers, talk to the captains," Kaylee was saying. "Look the captain in the eye. Know who you're dealing with."

Simon worked his jaw. "I wish there was…" he hesitated, casting his eyes downward. John studied him, certain that Simon wished to say more but didn't have the courage to do so.

Kaylee brushed off River's jacket, sniffling slightly but trying to cover it up. "Shouldn't be so clean. It's a dead giveaway you don't belong, you always gotta be tidy. Don't pay anybody in advance. And don't ride in anything with a Capissen 38 engine they fall right out of the sky."

Simon's eyes softened. "Kaylee…"

In that instant, John saw it. Regret… and longing. _He loves her_, he realized. And she obviously loved him. But neither of them – in the course of however long they'd been together on _Serenity_ – seemed to have ever acted on it. In fact, John would say it's a fair bet that Simon would have always had other things on his mind, like keeping his psychic, psychotic sister away from the Alliance.

Kaylee looked away, walking quickly down the ramp and into the crowd, following the direction the captain had taken. Simon watched her go, then cast his eyes downward dejectedly. River had followed Kaylee with her eyes as _Serenity's _skillful mechanic disappeared among the throngs of people.

"River, do you want to stay with them?" Simon asked quietly.

"It's not safe," River replied.

"No where is ever safe," both Cameron and John whispered reflexively. Simon looked over, recognizing the truth of their words.

"Are you coming with us?" he asked.

John shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't think we were given a choice."

"Where will you go?" Cameron questioned.

Simon glanced out at the city. "I'm not sure. We'll find another ship, I guess. I'll buy us passage with River's share of the bounty they bring back."

"What makes you think this new ship will be any safer?" John asked.

Simon looked away. "I don't." He sighed and looked back at _Serenity. _"All I know is that with this ship… with this crew… what they do… It's not safe here anymore."

Simon started down the ramp and John moved to follow, hearing River whisper into the wind.

"…for them."


	4. Strange Things Happen in the Maidenhead

**Chapter Four:**

**Strange Things Happen in the Maidenhead**

**Beaumonde**

As John walked with Cameron, Simon, and River through the streets of Beaumonde, he glanced over at River, who had become distant and detached.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked Simon. "The Alliance can't be after her just because she's a psychic."

Simon remained silent for a moment. "She was their experiment," he explained finally. "River was always brilliant and eager for a challenge. We sent her to the most prestigious school in the 'verse – the Alliance's Academy. I didn't know it at the time, but… they were using their pupils as test subjects, experimenting with their brains. When the crew went to the hospital on Ariel, I was able to scan her and discover exactly what they did to her."

"Which was what?" John asked.

Simon swallowed hard. "They cut into her brain. Several times. Stripped out her amygdala."

John frowned. "What's amygdala?"

"They control emotions," Cameron explained. "Giving humans the ability to repress certain emotions."

"Exactly," Simon agreed. "And since River's amygdala are gone, she can't do that anymore. She feels…everything. She can't not."

John looked over at River with a new sympathy. "I can't imagine the trauma she must have gone through."

Simon nodded slowly. "She's gotten a lot better since I rescued her but… it'll still take some time for her to fully recover. And even then, I'm not sure if that's even possible."

John could hear the pain in his voice as Simon ran a hand across his eyes. "I'll see about a ship," he murmured, pulling ahead from John, Cameron, and River.

John kept a comfortable pace with River and Cameron as they moved among the crowd. Cameron seemed to be watching as Simon got further out of view.

"She loves him," she spoke up.

John looked over, puzzled. "What?"

"Kaylee," Cameron continued. "She cares about Simon."

John nodded, having already noticed the same thing. He glanced over at River. "Why doesn't he do something?"

River let out a heavy sigh. "He is a boob."

There was a long pause before Cameron remarked, "He doesn't look like one."

John rolled his eyes at Cameron's lack of understanding. Across the street, he saw a familiar figure exiting a building.

"There's Kaylee now," he said with a nod in her direction. Kaylee didn't notice them standing across the street. She seemed angrier than usual, heading back towards where _Serenity _was parked.

John watched her until she was out of sight, then turned back around to Cameron and… "River?" he called with a frown, finding that she was no longer standing behind him. He glanced around, finally spotting her across the way, entering the building Kaylee had just come from.

John hurriedly motioned to Cameron. "Let's go!"

**Beaumonde **

**Maidenhead**

John stepped inside the Maidenhead, walking down some stairs where a guard checked to see if he had any weapons. Neither John nor Cameron were carrying. As John descended the next flight of stairs, he glanced around the room. The bar was alive with all sorts of people, some seated at the bar, some watching the large viewscreens, some sitting at tables or watching the dancers.

He spotted Mal and Jayne sitting at a table in the corner with two twin men, no doubt conducting their business. Mal made eye contact with John but John couldn't read his expression.

"You see River?" he asked Cameron.

"By the screens," Cameron informed.

John glanced to his left, seeing River standing with her back to them, staring up at the viewscreens on the wall as if entranced. John watched as well, hearing a faint song in a commercial for some kind of "fruity oaty bar".

"Miranda," Cameron echoed.

John frowned. "Who?"

"The message."

"What?"

Before Cameron could answer, John saw River turn away from the screen, her face blank, much like Cameron's always was. She shrugged out of her jacket and let it drop to the ground. Then she took a step towards a bar patron and brought her leg up in a quick snap kick that sent him crashing to the ground.

John's mouth dropped open.

River continued her assault, beginning a series of movements that took out bar patrons left and right. She moved as if… as if it were a dance. As if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Wow, she even acts like you," he heard himself say to Cameron. River blocked and parried at a breakneck speed, twisting up and around to kick another man in the head. Another kick sent a bottle flying and crashing into the head of a guy she'd seen only for a split second.

By now, the entire place was in chaos, with several patrons trying to flee up the stairs, only to be blocked by River. Only, John wasn't even sure he could _call_ her River right now. This wasn't the girl he'd seen outside _Serenity, _the one he'd been talking to just minutes before. He was looking at a killer. A brutal and efficient warrior. She moved from one target to the next, barely flinching at what few blows got through her defenses.

John finally snapped out of his shock and burst into action, darting towards her. "River! Stop!" he called. Her eyes flashed to him but there was no recognition. Instead she spun, building up power, and brought her leg around to connect with his stomach. John felt the air leave his lungs as he was propelled backward and into the wall, cracking his head.

He was vaguely aware of Jayne moving in on River as well. Cameron was at John's side instantly, helping him to his feet. "Hits like you too," he said, stifling a groan.

"Gorramit, girl!" Jayne hollered, fighting to hold River still. "It's me!"

John watched as River quickly incapacitated Jayne, knocking him out with a serving tray. Mal had made it to the stairs and was running for his gun in the lockbox. A patron pulled a knife, but River grabbed his arm and brutally thrust it forward into the gut of another patron.

"Stop her!" John shouted. "She's gonna kill people!"

Cameron stepped forward and River tried a spin kick. The blow was powerful enough to knock Cameron back a step, but she was far from defeated. River kept up her powerful attack, doing a remarkable job keeping Cameron at arm's length. John knew that Cameron could have easily dispatched her opponent if not for his order not to hurt River.

Up on the stairs, Mal withdrew his pistol from the box and John bolted up, praying he wouldn't be too late to stop Mal from shooting.

Mal had it aimed at River when John blocked his view. "You can't shoot her!" he cried.

"Kid—."

The door burst open and Simon darted in, looking positively frantic. He surveyed the situation in three seconds, seeing Mal and his gun, the unconscious patrons across the bar, and River fighting off Cameron.

"_Eta kooram na smech!_"

In that instant, River's eyes closed and she dropped like a stone, lying sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. Cameron looked up quizzically and John worked his mind, trying to come to some logical conclusion.

Everyone was completely still, waiting for Mal's reaction. Because as far as the Captain was concerned, none of them were on his crew any longer. He could have left River there, left Simon and John and Cameron for the Feds, as John half-expected him to.

But instead, Mal holstered his gun and ran down the stairs, lifting River in his arms and giving Cameron a slight nod. Her head snapped up towards the entrance.

"They're coming," she stated.

"Who?" Simon asked, starting to panic.

"Feds, no doubt," Mal replied. "Probably heard the ruckus."

Simon swallowed hard. "How are we getting out of this?"

John's mind had already been working, coming up with a plan. "Leave that to me," he said with a confident nod. "Just get her back to the ship."

_Blend in, make it real… _John grabbed a bottle and smashed it against his head, shattering the glass and leaving a cut. He saw Cameron start towards him, troubled at his action. He didn't give her time to worry. "You and me, out the back."

He hurried down, noticing that both Mal and Simon looked a little uneasy. "You leavin' us high and dry, Connor?" Mal questioned.

John looked back and grinned. "Trust me."

**Beaumonde**

**Maidenhead**

Mal didn't much like havin' his fate in the hands of a bitty kid, but if Connor had a plan… well, all Mal had to say was it had better work. Fast. He kicked Jayne's foot, rousing his fallen comrade. Simon looked anxious to check on River but Mal kept him moving towards the exit.

"Keep your head down," he cautioned.

He left the Maidenhead, instantly spotting a group of Feds standing just outside the doors. The officers looked up as soon as Mal exited.

"Halt!" the Fed ordered.

Mal cursed silently under his breath but put on a cheery smile as the Feds drew near. He shifted his weight, subtly turning River's head more so her face wouldn't be as visible. Not that it mattered much. If Connor's little scheme didn't come in soon, the Feds would get exactly what they was looking for.

"Hi," he said to the Fed leader. "What seems to be the problem?"

The Fed was clearly looking down at River, and Mal quickly added, "We're just a couple folks having a drink. One of my crew had a bit too much." The Fed started to move closer, but at that point, Connor came running out of the bar, holding his head and pointing across the way.

"That's her!" he shouted.

The Feds ignored Mal for the moment and shifted their attention to John, who was still holding his bleeding head. "She attacked me!" he informed them, his voice sounding angry and indignant. "Hit me 'cross the head with a bottle!"

The Feds stared across the street. Mal followed their gaze to see Cameron moving quickly through the crowd. The Feds recognized her instantly.

"River Tam, halt!" they began shouting, rushing after her. Cameron broke out in a sprint, leading them clear away from _Serenity. _John approached Mal and Mal had to admit, the kid's plan had been solid. Having a River twin had turned out to be of use after all.

"Thanks, kid," he said gruffly. "Maybe you ain't so bad as I thought."

John grinned. "Sure. No problem."

Mal hurried back to _Serenity _and hastily chained River to a grate in the storage locker before going back towards the ramp and hitting the button to comm Wash. "Take us out!"

Cameron came running up the ramp, pausing when she saw Mal. "Permission to board, captain?" she requested.

Mal started visibly, but nodded. Hearing River's voice threw him a loop but he supposed he'd better get used to it. Cameron entered and stood next to John as the ramp closed and Wash began the launch sequence.

"Where are the Feds?" John asked, speaking to Cameron.

"Unconscious in an alley."

John seemed to be searching for something more specific. "So you didn't-."

"No, I didn't kill them."

Mal snorted as he walked past. "Kinda wish she had."

John hesitated. "Well, I ordered her not to."

Mal turned. "Why?"

"It's part of her… development," John explained vaguely. "As a…person."

Mal raised an eyebrow. "Well, that is just all manner of cryptic isn't it? Just keep it to yourself while we sort out all this unseemly business."

"Where is she?" John demanded.

"Who?"

John crossed his arms. "You know who. River. What'd you do with her?"

Mal pursed his lips. "I chained her in the storage locker. Only way to make sure she doesn't go woolly again, maybe hurt someone."

"Keeping her locked up?" John demanded. But all the fight was gone out of him. Instead, he just seemed strained. "That's not right."

"Well, you tell me when it's right for her to start attacking, maybe murderin' my crew members," Mal responded. "Right and wrong got no place out here in the Black. I do what's best for me and mine. She stays locked up. For now."

**Operative's Warship**

**Deep Space**

The Operative stared down at the feed, watching impassively as River Tam took out an entire room of bar patrons at the Maidenhead on Beaumonde.

His ensign reported from the computer behind. "We got a pos on the retinal – man carrying her out is Malcolm Reynolds, captains a Firefly class transport ship – _Serenity_. Bound by law five times, smuggling, tariff dodge, not convicted. Nothing here that would-."

"The ship," the Operative interrupted. "The name of the ship. Crossref. Malcolm Reynolds. _Serenity_."

"Sir?"

"Serenity Valley," the Operative stated, staring at his own screen. "Bloodiest battle of the entire war. The independents held the valley for seven weeks, two of them after their high command has surrendered. 68% casualty rate."

The Ensign flushed. "Of course, sir. I just didn't-."

"There," the Operative pointed as Mal's military record appeared on the viewscreen. "If the Feds ever bothered to crossref justice files with war records… Yes, our Mr. Reynolds was a sergeant, 57th Overlanders. Volunteer. Fought at Serenity till the very last." The Operative pursed his lips and studied Malcolm Reynolds' face, committing every aspect to memory. "This man is an issue. This man hates us."

The Ensign pulled up another file. "First mate Zoe Washburn, formerly Corporal Zoe Alleyne, also in the 57th. Career army, looks like."

"She's followed him far," the Operative mused. "Get me the crew, registered passengers. Our captain is a passionate man, no room there for subtlety. He's bound to have some very obvious…" a picture of a beautiful dark-haired woman flashed on the screen and the Operative trailed off. "… weakness."

The Ensign spoke up, explaining, "Inara Serra. She's a registered Companion." The Operative remained silent for a moment and the Ensign shifted uncomfortably. "Sir? We can send someone to find her—."

"No," the Operative countered. "I'll go myself." His eyes were still following the security feed as it started looping again. Something caught the Operative's eye and he frowned. "Wait. Stop. Backtrack." The feed stopped and in the background, the Operative could see two more people. Two people who hadn't been felled by River. Two people who appeared to be _with_ River. And yet, people who were not listed as _Serenity's _crew or passengers. The female was turned, but he could clearly see the young man's features.

"Who is that?"

He heard the Ensign rapidly clicking keys, then stutter, "Um… sir. Negative on the retinal scan. There's… no record of him."

"Check the closed files."

"I'm serious, sir," the Ensign replied, still checking through files. "There's no record of him anywhere."

The Operative remained silent. Who was this ghost? "Playback." The feed started again and the Operative saw River spin kick the young man out of the screen. He skipped all the way to where Malcolm Reynolds lifted River up. In the background were the two mysterious people once again. The female figure turned her head into the camera's view. "There! Stop!" he commanded.

The screen froze and the Ensign's mouth dropped open. "What the –? That's River Tam!"

The Operative shook his head slowly. "No. It's not."

The Ensign was typing away on his computer. "Retinal scan matches. _That's _River Tam. And…" he pointed to the girl in Reynolds' arms. "_That's _River Tam."

The Operative mused for a moment, then pointed to the new River. "The safe word didn't work on this one." His finger traced a line to the unconscious River in the arms of Malcolm Reynolds. "_That's _River Tam."

"Then who's the twin?"

"I do not know…" the Operative mused quietly. "But we need to find out."


	5. Complications

Selene467 - Yes, the "eyes of blue" is referring to Cameron. I always liked that rhyme in the series and I thought it worked perfectly with Cameron's blue "Terminator" eyes. :) Yes, it'll pretty much follow the course of the movie, with some exceptions of course since now the Alliance has John and Cameron to deal with too. In one sense, it won't continue too far past the movie ending. But I hope you'll find the nice twist of an ending satisfactory. :)

KingSteve - Yeah, some are a little shorter than others. This chapter's a little longer than the last one, but most of them are about as long or longer than the Fair is Foul chapters.

EvilTheLast - You _are_ correct about even twins having different fingerprints, but I was thinking retina scans could be the same. In the movie Eagle Eye, the guy's twin is able to use the retina scan. I honestly don't know if it's true or not, but it seemed plausible.

* * *

_Chinese Translations:_

_ sah gwa wu toh wuh now - stupid melonhead without a brain_

_Fong luh buhn dahn! - crazy idiot!_

_Ni zhao si ma? - you looking to die?_

_Tsai boo shr! - No way!_

_go-suh – dog crap_

_Choo fay wuh suh leh - over my dead body_

**Chapter Five:**

**Complications**

_**Serenity **_

**Galley **

John watched quietly as Mal locked the door where, inside, River was chained to the grating on the floor. His face was impassive, but John could read the emotion behind it – the confusion, the anger.

Simon stepped up anxiously, looking past Mal to the door. "May I see her?"

Mal crossed his arms. "I believe you've got some storytellin' to do."

John heard the hidden anger in Mal's voice, the accusation. "What happened here is nobody's fault," John said cautiously, trying to keep everyone calm.

Mal glared at him. "Oh, I can find fault. I can find lots of fault. Starting with the Doc, here. What happened back there?"

"Start with the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a ninety pound girl," Wash chipped in, stifling a chuckle. "Cuz I don't think that's ever getting old."

Zoe seemed to be taking the entire situation a bit more seriously. "Do we know if anyone was killed?"

Mal opened his mouth to speak but Cameron beat him to it. "Two were terminated," she reported. "One was shot in the head, one was stabbed in the stomach with a knife. He bled to death."

Mal pursed his lips. "That so?"

Cameron looked at him solemnly. "The human body can be drained of blood in 8.6 seconds given adequate vacuuming systems."

John put a hand over his head and Mal raised an eyebrow at Cameron's blunt statement. "Morbid and creepifying…"

Kaylee spoke up hesitantly, fearfully. "She… she killed them? Not even Feds this time…innocent…"

"She's killed Feds before?" John questioned. River had never struck him as a fighter. Well, until today that is…

Kaylee nodded in response. "Without even lookin'. That was in a battle, though. Saved my life. She's never just hurt anyone…"

"Hello?" Jayne put in curtly. "She slashed me with a butcher knife out of the great blue nowhere!"

"Yeah, but that don't count."

Jayne bristled. "How don't I count?" He gestured angrily towards the room where River lay. "I'm the most affected by that gorram crazy-person. She's cut at me, knocked me out and threatened to kill me with mathematics."

John frowned. "What?"

"Don't listen to him," Wash advised. "His brain's the size of a grape."

Jayne scowled. "Was talkin' 'bout _her_ brain. Only way she could've killed them Feds without lookin'."

"Jayne," Mal cut in irritably, apparently tired of this conversation. "Your mouth is talkin'. You'd better see to that." Jayne curled his lip but promptly shut up as Mal turned back to Simon. "So we got two corpsified victims in this incident. Would have been more if the Doc hadn't put her out. Which, how exactly does that work anyhow?"

All eyes turned to Simon, who said softly, "It's a safe word. The people who helped me break River out had intel that River and the other subjects were being embedded with behavioral conditioning. They taught me a safe word in case something happened."

"I'm not sure I get it," Kaylee said with a frown.

"It's a phrase that makes her fall asleep," Simon explained. "If I speak the words '_eta_—'."

Jayne jerked backwards abruptly. "Well, don't _say_ it!"

John stared at him with a raised eyebrow and Zoe suppressed a smile. "It only works on her, Jayne."

Jayne glanced around the room, fumbling for a response. "Well, now I know that."

John bit back a grin. "He's not the brightest bulb in the box is he?"

Kaylee shrugged. "Told ya."

Jayne looked enraged for a second, then confused once more. "Wait, what does that mean?"

"In case something happened," Mal cut in, bringing the conversation back to the situation at hand. "You feel to elaborate on what that something might be?"

"They never said what-"

"And you never did ask…"

Mal grabbed Simon by the shirt and slammed him down onto the table. John felt an sudden urge to get up and help River's brother, but no one else moved a muscle, for fear of disobeying their captain.

Simon fought Mal's hold with a fury. "Get your hands off-!"

"Eight months!" Mal shouted. "Eight months you had her on my boat, knowing full well she could go monkey at the wrong word. You never said a thing…"

"I brought her out here so they couldn't get to her!" Simon protested, equally loud. "I don't even know what they—!"

"My ship!" Mal exploded. "My crew! You had a gorram time bomb livin' with us. What if she went off during dinner or in bunk with Kaylee, did that give you a moment's pause?" Simon glanced at Kaylee and John could see the shame there. Mal kept his eyes firmly on Simon. "Who we gonna find in there when she wakes up? The girl? Or the weapon?"

Simon's resolve had faded into helplessness. "I thought she was getting better."

"I thought they was getting off," Jayne countered. "Didn't we have this intricate plan as how they was gonna be not here anymore? Instead of getting rid of the ones we have, we gain two more." He glared pointedly at John and Cameron. "Seems to be opposite effect there, Mal."

"We couldn't abandon them now," Kaylee said.

"No," Jayne muttered sarcastically. "Now that she's a killer women we outta be bringin' her tea and dumplings. In earnest Mal, why'd you bring her back on?"

The question reflected one John himself had considered back in the Maidenhead. He saw something flash on Mal's face, as if maybe the captain himself didn't really know. From what John had seen, Mal didn't seem like the kind of guy who would put himself in danger for the sake of another. He wasn't a hero. He wasn't selfless. But maybe he wasn't the heartless tyrant John had first imagined.

"May I see her?" Simon asked, softly this time.

Mal stepped aside and Simon went into the storage locker. John caught a glimpse of River, still laying unconscious inside.

Jayne popped a grape into his mouth, leaning back casually in his chair. "She goes wooly again, we're gonna have to put a bullet to her."

"It's crossed my mind," Mal agreed.

John felt a sudden rage and he stood up, staring at Mal with a look of murder. "_No,_" he growled. "You're not killing her. Or anyone else for that matter."

Mal loomed over John, his voice edgy, "Seems I have a big problem with relatives of River giving orders on my boat. You keep your opinions to yourself and let me run this or you can leave."

John had half a mind to take the captain up on his offer, find some other ride, some other way. But that would mean leaving River in the hands of Mal and his crew. Maybe to her death. And he couldn't do that.

He met Mal's death glare with a snarl. "You don't know who you're dealing with. You don't know who we are. Who _she_ is." He snapped his hand towards Cameron.

Mal gave a tight smile. "Sure I do. You're the _sah gwa wu toh wuh now_ that's about to take a nice walk in space if you don't keep your gorram opinions to yerself."

"You can't give me orders," John countered boldly. "She could take all of you."

Jayne snorted, popping another grape into his mouth. "Don't know 'bout that."

John turned to Jayne. "River knocked you out no problem didn't she?"

Jayne flushed and stood to punch John. "Why you little–." As John had anticipated – and counted on – Cameron caught Jayne's fist midswing, twisted his arm to the right, and kicked him backwards into the wall.

Jayne struggled to his feet, shaking the stars out of his eyes and glaring at Cameron with a new hatred. "_Fong luh buhn dahn!_"

Cameron cocked her head before responding, "_Ni zhao si ma?" _

Mal seemed a touch impressed. "She's added Chinese to her vocabulary?"

John decided not to mention that she spoke every language known to man – fluently. Meanwhile, Jayne had obviously had enough of being beat up by girls. He moved on Cameron, despite Kaylee, Wash, and Zoe's urgent call for him to stop. Cameron never let him get a punch in, skillfully dodging and grabbing his arm, twisting it behind his back and delivering a strike of her own that sent him to the floor.

The rest of the crew had ceased their cries, watching with surprise at Cameron's superiority. Jayne stumbled to his feet, leaning over his place on the table. John saw the flash of silver from a knife, but before he could warn Cameron, Jayne spun, slashing at her face and leaving a large cut across her cheek.

Kaylee yelped in horror, but Cameron merely turned back to Jayne and everyone could see the silver metal showing through the torn flesh of her face. Jayne's face contorted and he stumbled backwards, staring at her in surprise.

A stunned Wash muttered something unintelligible in Chinese. Everyone else seemed completely dumbstruck. Mal stepped closer to Cameron, as if to make sure the metal wasn't some trick of the light.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"She's a machine," John replied evenly. "A cyborg."

Kaylee's eyes widened. "_Tsai boo shr!_"

"A robot?" Wash blurted.

"Cybernetic organism," Cameron corrected.

Jayne seemed disgruntled. "Gorram, no wonder River's so stir-crazy."

_**Serenity**_

**Galley**

"Well, ain't that something," Mal muttered. How was it he always found himself in these type situations? On the one hand, he had River trussed up tight in the storage locker with enough mental issues to fill a space cruiser, not to mention her new appetite for death and suffering. On the other, he had River's twin, who was not really River's twin at all, and, as it turns out, not a real person, but a cyborg.

"Now I think you're the one with some storytellin' to do," Mal said to John. He'd never bothered to find out the kid's backstory before because truth be told, he hadn't much cared. But now it seemed like Connor had been hidin' a secret almost as big as the Tams.

"Is this a happy story?" Wash questioned uneasily. "Because I don't think I take any more unhappy surprises."

"No," John said quietly. "It's not happy. Not at all."

Wash plastered on a fake smile. "Wonderful. Let's begin, shall we? Storytime with the time traveling pessimist."

Mal drew in a deep breath. "Start with how this River twin person is not really a person at all."

John's head snapped up and fire lit his eyes. "She _is_ a person!" he snapped.

"Okay," Mal said, placating the young man. "That can be part of the story."

John took a deep breath and seemed to regain his composure, glancing around. "You all know I come from the past."

"So you've said," Mal stated.

"Well, there's a future I come from too, a future different than this one."

"Okay, you lost me," Wash broke in.

John looked confused. "But I just started."

"You saying you're from an alternate future?" Zoe deduced.

"Not just an alternate future," John corrected. "An alternate timeline."

"That don't make no sense," Jayne retorted. Which didn't surprise Mal. Nothing much made sense to Jayne.

"Cameron and I changed something in our past and it created this new future," John continued.

Kaylee seemed puzzled. "What did you change?"

"Well, in my future, a computer program called Skynet takes over the world. It unleashes nuclear weapons that destroy most of the human population in a single second. We called it Judgment Day."

"Fitting," Mal noted.

"Sounds like something Shepherd Book would tell about," Kaylee added.

"After Judgment Day, a Resistance began to fight Skynet and Skynet's machines – humanoid robots called Terminators."

"Terminator?" Wash repeated. "Wow, I like it. Has a nice, deadly kind of ring to it." He looked at Cameron. "And you're a…?"

"Scary robot?" she finished.

"For lack of a better and more smart-sounding response, yes."

John pressed on with his story. "Skynet sent machines back in time to kill me and my mother. They were made to look like humans so that they would blend in."

"Wait," Mal held up a hand. "Why would they be after little ole' you?"

"Because…"

Cameron cut in. "John Connor is the leader of the human resistance."

Jayne laughed. "You?"

Now that Mal thought about it, he remembered a conversation a while back with John and Cameron where the two had mentioned just that, though at that point, John hadn't claimed the title, seeing as they'd changed the future and all.

Kaylee looked at Cameron tentatively. "And… her?"

"Cameron protected me from the Terminators sent to kill me. There are some machines in the future that are with the Resistance."

"So what did you change in that future?" Mal asked. "That created this one?"

John looked up. "We stopped Skynet. Shut it down."

"So all of this is a future because Skynet never happened?"

John shrugged. "As far as I know, yes."

Jayne snorted. "You believin' all this, Mal?"

"Ain't rightly sure yet."

"It's a load of _go-suh_."

"We've dealt with a good deal of _go-suh _before," Mal pointed out. He nodded towards Cameron. "She ain't gonna turn on us is she?"

"She's got a personality," John retorted, as if the thought of his precious machine having programming was repulsive. "She makes her own choices, she's her own person."

"That is all manner of unhelpful and I don't think it answered my question," Mal replied.

"No," John spat. "She won't turn on you unless you give her reason to."

Mal forced a smile. "Well, that's just very reassuring and by reassuring I mean the direct opposite." He turned away from the young man, motioning for Zoe to join him off to the side.

"Zoe, what do you think of this here unforeseen predicament?"

"The kid's got a strength about him," Zoe replied. "And the cyborg's nigh indestructible. She could be a valuable asset."

Mal nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"Really, sir?"

"Well, in not so many words."

Across the room, the rest of the crew had begun talking to John and Cameron. "You know," Wash remarked, his voice carrying over to Mal and Zoe, "we have cyborgs here too. Of a sort. But they don't really act human."

"When've you seen one?" Kaylee asked.

"Mr. Universe."

Mal whipped his head around at the name. "Mr. Universe," he whispered.

Zoe frowned at his reaction. "Sir?"

"We still need to find out about that security feed," Mal replied. "The feed from inside the Maidenhead. Wash! Let me know when we're near a comm buoy."

**Serenity **

**Passenger Quarters**

John sat quietly in his room with his hands folded in his lap. _What a day, _he thought dejectedly.

The door opened and Cameron entered, inadvertently causing John's heart to quicken.

"I don't see me in her at all," he said softly.

Cameron sat down next to him. "She has your spirit, your soul, your heart."

"How do you know?"

"Because she can't have mine," Cameron replied distantly. "I don't have one."

John's lips parted and he gripped Cameron's hands. "Yes, you do," he whispered. "You can't feel it or hear it but you do." He'd seen it on many occasions – when she professed her love when stuck between two trucks, the two of them driving home from Mexico where she explained how she could feel.

"I've seen it. Even when I didn't want to."

Zoe's voice came over the comm., interrupting them. "I need all personnel to the galley. Captain's orders." There was a short pause, then she added, "That includes non-personnel also."

In the background, he heard Wash's voice, "As in cyborgs and little resistance leaders."

John and Cameron followed orders and headed up onto the dining room where the rest of the crew was gathering.

Mal gave John a slight nod when he finally arrived and the captain turned to address everyone. "You all know we're in deep water with the incident back on Beaumonde," he began. "Now, I think it's high time we found out exactly what the Alliance knows."

John frowned. "How are we going to do that?"

"We're going to contact Mr. Universe."

**Serenity **

**Cockpit**

John and Cameron stood with the rest of the crew behind Mal, Zoe, and Wash as the captain waved the reclusive techo-geek Mr. Universe. The tech was able to locate the security video of River's wild attack inside of five minutes.

"Oh, this is good," Mr. Universe remarked as he observed River's brutal movements on the screen. "You guys always bring me the very best violence. You think you're in a hot place?"

"That's what we're looking to learn," Mal replied. "Is there any follow up, a newswave?"

"There is no news," Mr. Universe countered. "There's the truth of the signal. What I see. And, there's the puppet theater, the Parliament jesters foist on the somnambulant public."

"Well, what about this? Did this make the puppet theater?"

"No, sir," Mr. Universe said. "And no lawforce flags, either. I had to go into the security feed direct."

"You can do that?"

Mr. Universe gave a crooked smile. "Can't stop the signal, Mal. Everything goes somewhere, and I go everywhere. Security feeds are a traipse to access, and I wasn't the first one in. This has prints on it."

Zoe nodded understanding. "So somebody else has been fed this?"

Mr. Universe smirked playfully. "Zoe, you sultry minx, stop falling in love with me."

Cameron seemed puzzled at his comment. "I don't understand. She loves Wash."

"Really?" Mal said, feigning shock as he turned to his first mate. "Why Zoe, I'm shocked my own self!"

"He's just joking," John whispered to Cameron.

"I have a commitment," Mr. Universe explained. "To my love bot." He flipped a button on a remote and in the background, a robot girl waved stiffly. Everyone in the room looked at Cameron, who was observing the love bot with a curious expression.

"Told you," Wash said smugly to Kaylee.

"She is not any model I recognize," Cameron stated.

"Look at how primitive the design it is," Kaylee added, sounding like she did when she was studying ship engines or parts. She glanced at Cameron, as if comparing two things that were in totally different leagues. Which they were, John would agree.

On the video screen, the security feed showed River kicking John into the wall. Jayne chuckled softly.

"I could stand to see a little more of that," he said, smirking at John.

"_Choo fay wuh suh leh_," Cameron retorted.

John sighed in exasperation. "Geez, Cameron, you have to stop speaking Chinese. I already don't know what everyone else is saying half the time."

"Really ain't that hard," Kaylee remarked helpfully. "I could teach ya if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll stick with English."

On screen, Simon entered the picture and shouted the safe word. River dropped like a rock. "And she falls asleep," Mr. Universe remarked. "Which, she would be sleepy."

"Can you go back?" Mal questioned. "See if anybody spoke with her before she acted up. Made any kind of contact with her."

John racked his brain, trying to remember the incident. He and Cameron had entered the Maidenhead just after River had and he'd never noticed anyone speaking to her.

On the screen, River stared up at the vidscreens and whispered, "Miranda."

"Miranda?" Mal repeated.

Something triggered in John's memory. "Miranda?" Hadn't Cameron said that in the Maidenhead before River was triggered? Had she heard what River was saying? "Cameron…"

"Go back further," Mal said.

"No…"

Mal glanced around at his crew, a bit confused. "Uh, please?" he requested.

Mr. Universe's attention was focused elsewhere and John could hear the vaguely familiar tune of the oaty bar commercial River had been so intently watching in the bar.

"Mal, you're very smart," Mr. Universe said. "Someone _is_ talking to her."

"The oaty bar?" Wash blurted.

"Subliminal," Mal realized. "It's a subliminal message, broadwaved to trigger her."

Mr. Universe's cheerful demeanor seemed to have changed, reflecting the seriousness of the situation. "I've been seeing this code pop up all over the last few weeks. It's Alliance and it's high military. They have gone to enormous trouble to find your little friend. And found her, they have." His jaw tightened as he stared at Mal. "Do you all know what it is you're carrying?"

Mal shrugged in his typical fashion. "Can't be worse than what we already are right?" He glanced pointedly at Cameron.

"Cap'n?" Zoe spoke up quietly, her voice and face deadly serious. "I don't mean to burst your bubble but I can guarantee it probably is."


	6. Broken

_King Steve - Whoops, you're right, those were Niska's men. I can't believe I messed that up! _

_nubbs2027 - I don't really want to spoil it, but yes. :)_

_Anon - Well, I was trying to do it more like Firefly the series where they spurt off Chinese and you as the viewer go "what?" and then get online and look up the translation. Or maybe that's just me. :)_

_formytots0128 - No, Mr. U never meets Cameron face to face. Hm, I never really thought about that, but I bet it would be an interesting meet.  
_

* * *

_Chinese Translations:_

_ Mei mei – little sister_

_Shuh ma – what?_

_Ai-yah tyen-a - Merciless Hell_

_Wuh de tyen, ah! - dear God in heaven!_

_Dong luh mah? - are we clear?_

_Kew u de lao bao jun - horrible old tyrant_

**Chapter Six:**

**Broken**

**Serenity **

**Storage Locker**

Simon sat next to River in her makeshift cell, gently washing the dried blood off her knuckles and face. She was awake now, but she hadn't spoken much at all since she'd regained consciousness. Simon was still trying to figure out exactly what had happened at the Maidenhead. When he'd entered and seen his sister in the middle of the room, dozens of bodies around her, the captain aiming his pistol at her, and her engaged in a brutal fistfight with Cameron, he had reacted instinctively, shouting the safe word and praying it would make her stop.

Mal had been right. Simon should have asked what "just in case" meant. At the time, he'd been so focused on getting her out, on making sure she was okay that he never took the time to ask his contacts exactly what had been done to her, why there was a safe word.

He swallowed hard. "I didn't know you could… fight like that," he remarked quietly. "Is that something they taught you at the Academy?"

River's voice was soft, haunted. "They said I'd still be allowed to dance."

"Dance," Simon repeated. Is that what they had told her? "That's what happened in there… that fight-?"

"It's just like ballet," she whispered. "Except there's no music and we kill each other."

Simon hesitated, remaining silent.

"Keep killing," River continued, her voice growing in pitch and volume. "Can't stop… can't stop the signal… can't break free…. Can't…!"

She was starting to hyperventilate and Simon quickly cupped her face in his hands. "Shhh…. It's okay," he assured her. "We're back on the ship. We're safe."

"It's not safe. No one is ever safe. Not safe from me."

Simon shook his head emphatically. "River, I know you wouldn't ever hurt them…"

"They're afraid of me."

He winced, knowing it was true. "I'm sorry."

"They should be. But I'll show them." Her face twisted. "Oh, God…"

"It's okay," Simon repeated. "Hey, it's okay."

"Show me off like a dog. Old men covered in blood. It never touched them, but they're drowning in it." She shook her head. "I don't know what I'm saying. I never know what I'm saying."

Simon didn't understand what she was saying either. But he needed to. "In the Maidenhead you said something," he began. "When you were triggered, do you remember? The captain saw you say something on the feed."

"Miranda."

"Miranda," Simon repeated.

"Ask her."

"Who is Miranda?" Simon hesitated. Was there…she couldn't be a… "Am I talking to Miranda now?" She gave him a look and Simon almost laughed. That was the sister he remembered. "But I think when they triggered you, it somehow brought this up, this memory."

"It isn't mine," River said urgently. "The memory, it isn't mine and I shouldn't have to carry it, it isn't mine! Please don't make me sleep again!"

"I won't!" Simon promised, heartbroken at her tearful face.

"Put a bullet to me. Bullet in the brainpan, _squish_!"

Simon felt appalled and turned her face to look at him. "Don't say that, not ever. We'll get through this."

River shook her head ever so slightly. "Things are gonna get much, much worse."

Simon leaned back against the wall. "Well, at least the captain hasn't tossed us out the airlock yet. Though I guess he'd probably throw John and Cameron out first."

The room was silent for a long moment and Simon felt a pain stab his heart as he thought about John and Cameron – supposedly River's real parents. River's real family.

"_Mei mei_…" he began, but hesitated.

She looked over at him, her eyes soft. "You'll always be my brother, Simon."

He was momentarily surprised, before he remembered that she had probably read his thoughts. "Yeah," he agreed with a small smile. "Maybe John and Cameron will adopt me."

She laughed but it was a tortured thing and he could hear the strain. She was still haunted by whatever terrible memory she carried. He couldn't pretend to understand it. He couldn't pretend to comprehend it. Whoever or whatever Miranda was, it was destroying her from the inside out.

**Serenity **

**Galley**

John sat at the dining table across from Kaylee, his eyes on the room where River and Simon were.

"Why don't you go see her too?" Kaylee suggested.

John shook his head and turned his attention away from the door. "Let her brother help her."

"But you're her father."

John scoffed. "I'm seventeen. It's a little beyond me right now. I'm not even her father yet_. _It's just… a lot to take in."

Kaylee pursed her lips and nodded her understanding. "I know."

John was afraid he was being rude, so he turned his attention to her, attempting to strike up a friendly conversation. "Hey, how about you teach me a little Chinese?"

Kaylee's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Sure!"

John held up a hand to subdue some of her excitement. "Before you get too into it, let's just take it one phrase at a time, okay?"

Kaylee grinned. "Of course. Let me think… ooh, here's one you can use to suck up to the Cap'n."

John shrugged. He wasn't sure if Mal had quite accepted him or not. Maybe sucking up wasn't such a bad idea.

"_Hoe-tze duh pee-goo,__" _Kaylee stated, sounding it out slowly.

_"__Hoe-tze duh pee-goo,__" _John repeated, saying it over and over again to get it right. "What's it mean?"

"Noble leader," Kaylee replied. "He likes being called noble."

"Really?"

Kaylee nodded emphatically. "Like you could say, 'Cap'n, you look like a _hoe-tze duh pee-goo_ today'."

_"__Hoe-tze duh pee-goo_. Okay."

**Serenity **

**Fore Passage**

John was walking up to the cockpit to find Cameron when he passed by Mal, who seemed to be headed for his bunk.

John took a deep breath before stating, "Captain, you look like a _hoe-tze duh pee-goo _today."

Mal gave him a dirty look before disappearing down into his bunk. John felt mystified. Maybe Kaylee had been wrong and Mal didn't like being called 'noble' after all…

"What did I do?" he wondered aloud.

He heard Kaylee's light chuckle behind him. "You said he looked like a monkey butt."

"What? Kaylee!"

"_Shuh ma?_" she asked innocently.

"Last time I come to you to learn a new language," he said. But he grinned nonetheless.

Until he spotted Cameron sitting at the computer.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked.

"They have to see," she replied calmly. "River says they have to see what they don't want to."

John's brow furrowed. "What?"

"I'm hacking into the Alliance database."

"Oh." He paused. "Any particular reason why?"

"Records."

She didn't elaborate so John simply nodded. "Okay, then."

There was a long pause, then Cameron pointed at the screen. "Here. I've downloaded these records. Videos."

"Videos," he repeated. "Videos of what?"

She finally turned to face him, dead serious. "River at the Academy."

John's demeanor changed instantly and he turned around to see Kaylee still standing behind him. "Kaylee, call everyone in here. _Ma shong._"

Kaylee looked stunned - both at his Chinese and his tone, but she hurried to do as he requested.

"Who taught you that?" Cameron asked.

"I picked it up around the ship," John replied. "It does mean 'now' doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"Good. That would have been very embarrassing."

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

John waited until everyone had arrived, especially Simon. Everyone seemed unsure of why they were there and Mal looked at John curiously. "Kaylee says you was usin' an urgent voice _and _Chinese. Must be something awful important. So let's hear it."

"See it, actually," John corrected. He glanced around, addressing the entire crew. "The only way to prepare for the future… is to understand the past. Cameron hacked the Alliance database and found these videos of River at the Academy." He saw Simon suck in a deep breath. "I know none of us really know what went on there but maybe these tapes will shed some more light on her… situation. Cameron?"

Cameron started the tape. It was grainy, black and white and of poor quality, but as soon as Simon saw his sister on the tape, John saw the tears instantly fill his eyes. River on that tape looked different. She looked _normal. _A sweet and hopeful, innocent girl.

"And you like school?" the interviewer questioned.

River smiled genuinely. "I do. It's… sometimes things move a little slowly for me."

"I imagine they do. What's your favorite subject?"

River considered. "I'm finding physics a challenge."

"You're in the graduate program already."

She smiled again. "They call me 'little mouse.'"

"Do you think they're jealous because you're so young?"

"Volgar is, a little. He plans to become very important."

"Did he tell you he was jealous?"

"Oh, no. I just—," she hesitated.

"Feel it?"

River stared at him. "People tell you things all the time without talking. The way they move, the way they aren't talking."

"You're very intuitive," the interviewer remarked.

There was the happy grin again. "Simon says I was born with a third eye. He hates when I can tell which girls he likes."

"Your brother. He's a doctor, right?"

"He's a trauma surgeon. In Capital City."

"Quite a family."

River grinned. "Simon's a genius. I could never do what he does."

John saw the tear run down Simon's face and John could only imagine what he was thinking right now.

On screen, the interviewer looked at River. "I think you could do whatever you put your mind to. That's what the Alliance needs, that's what this institute is all about. Your mind, letting it do everything it could. Does that sound like something you'd be interested in?"

There was a long pause as River considered. Then she smiled. "Would I still be allowed to dance?"

The video ended and John felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. What had they done to her there? She seemed so normal, just a girl. A bright, beautiful girl with hopes and dreams. A girl who loved to dance, just like Cameron.

"River…" he whispered to himself. "What happened to you…?"

. ****************

Simon didn't even care who saw him. He didn't care that Mal was in the room, didn't care if Kaylee noticed his reaction.

He couldn't stop the tears that ran down his cheeks. This was his sister, just the way she had been. The way she'd been when they were kids. Before they had taken her and broken her. He could hear her voice in his head, what she'd wistfully told him mere hours ago in the storage locker: _They said I'd still be allowed to dance._

The second video started, titled session 22 and Simon instantly noticed the difference. River was no longer the happy, eager girl he'd seen in the last tape. This time, River looked disheveled. Her eyes were deadened and she was hunched over slightly.

"You understand why these treatments are important?" the interviewer questioned.

"I don't think…" she began. Her voice was softer, less cheerful. "I'm sorry. I think there's been an error. I don't think… I think I might not be the right subject for these… for this program."

She was having trouble forming her thoughts into sentences. The realization hit Simon like a knife through the heart. River _never _had trouble like that before. She had always done everything perfectly. She'd been correcting his spelling and grammar since she was three. She found errors in text books and she'd bypassed him in knowledge long ago. He was an idiot child compared to her. But now he could see that only the 22nd session in and they had already begun to manipulate her. To break her.

"It's perfectly natural to feel a little nervous," the interviewer remarked.

River kept her eyes downcast. "I just…If it were possible to be transferred… I would make a… I would like to request a transfer."

"You want to be back in GenEd?"

"Please."

"You told us that was no good for you. It was too slow, that's why you're here."

"Please," she whispered desperately. "It… hurts."

Simon swallowed painfully. It killed him to see her like this. If only he had known sooner what they were doing to her there…

"Well, I can help you with that," the interviewer replied. "You know how proud Doctor Mathias is with how you're progressing."

"I'm not progressing," River countered.

The tape filled with static for a moment, then River reappeared on the screen.

"It's the Pax," she whispered.

"Tell me what you see," the interviewer encouraged.

"You lost the first one," River replied. "You cut too deep. He died on the table." Simon's eyes widened with recognition. When he'd been on Ariel, he'd seen what they had done to River's brain. They'd stripped her amygdala, preventing her from being able to suppress and control emotions.

Apparently, she hadn't been the first.

"One of your attendants cried and you comforted her. 'We're doing such good work.'"

"Do you understand that that is true?" the interviewer asked. "The work we do here is very important and you're a part of that."

"I would like to see my brother."

Simon felt his heart wrench. The interviewer merely brushed off her comment. "Well you can write to him—."

"I _need _to," River protested, pleading desperately. "I would like please to see him." Simon's throat constricted and he felt Kaylee's arm gripping his as he brushed tears away.

"Well, I'm sure he's very busy," the interviewer replied.

River nodded slowly, softly whispering, "Yes. Yes, I'm sure."

Simon wanted to scream at the interviewer. He would have done anything for River. He would have crossed the galaxy to get to her. He'd spent two years building up the resources and contacts, figuring out how to rescue her. He had spent his entire fortune getting her out of that place. He'd given up his future as a doctor.

And he didn't regret it for a second.

. ****************

Mal had never known River as anything other than the troubled, intuitive psychic fugitive who had sought refuge on his ship eight months ago. Seeing what she had been, before the Alliance stuck its claws into her… it made him think. And it only furthered what he already knew the Alliance to be.

Monsters.

"Start the next one," he said quietly.

Cameron began the next video and Mal saw that it was session 165. One hundred and sixty five sessions of torture and manipulation. How long was that? he wondered. How many sessions did they put her through a day?

River wasn't sitting complacently in the chair anymore. She was pacing the room, almost frenzied in her movements. In fact, if Mal had to choose, he'd say that the River locked up on _Serenity_ right now seemed saner than the River that was gracing that screen.

"I have a system," River was stating, speaking rapidly. "You make an assumption because you have a system. Your system. You're symptomatic. It's chronic. You think it's benign, but it has to be cut out. This system is simple. Blanket folded thus, the sheet pulled taut, the mattress. The mattress can't be trusted. It has to be gutted. I looked under 20 and found a pea, and you wonder why I'm not sleeping?" She leaned across the table, grinning. "Are you worried that I cut up my mattress for no reason, or that I had a perfectly good reason that you can't see?" Her face fell. "Can't… see… anyone. Even the orderlies wear masks."

"Why did you cut up your mattress?" the interviewer repeated.

River gritted her teeth. "I am trying to protect my spine!"

"Are you worried that you might be injured? Your movement trainers are giving you excellent—."

"No one will give me a mission."

The interviewer sounded confused. "A mission?"

"I have a reason," River insisted. "I'm… reasona-ble. I have a reason."

The tape turned to static again and Mal glared at Cameron, as if she were to blame for the interruption. A moment later, the screen came back on, but River hadn't sat down or ceased her pacing.

"My movement hasn't been dictated yet but I am not here for nothing," River claimed. "I am a… sti…sty. And you know I have a… spine. There's something wrong with the body politic."

Suddenly River dropped her head onto the table, struggling and screaming. "They're sticking in me! It's in the mattress and it's crawling inside me! You cut it out! You cut it out! You cut it out!"

Mal felt his insides turn to ice. "_Ai-yah tyen-a_." He turned to Simon who looked positively horrified.

"Her amygdala," Simon said, his voice filled with absolute grief. "They cut it out. And _she knows_. She felt it…"

. ******************

Cameron started the last session and John sucked in his breath. After what he'd just seen, he wasn't sure how he could take anymore. The title on the next and final video segment was 416.

She'd been stuck there for so long…

River wasn't pacing anymore. She was sitting quietly in the chair, her head downcast, her hair falling in her face.

"You're very quiet today," the interviewer remarked. "How did your session with Doctor Mathias go?"

"He gave me a mission," River said softly.

"Really? Did he tell you your mission out loud or did you just hear it?"

River responded cryptically. "He plays hide and seek with me."

"Doctor Mathias?"

"My brother," River corrected. "He's a doctor. He thinks he can find me but I'm deep down. And I do not make… a sound…"

She was talking in riddles, much like she did now. John wasn't sure if it was a step up from the crazed, pacing River in the last tape, or simply a further digression into insanity.

"River, what mission did Doctor Mathias give you?"

"I can't tell you."

"You can tell me anything, you know that."

"Can't… tell." She extended her hand. "I'll have to write it down."

The interviewer handed her the pen and River stood up, then suddenly lunged forward, thrusting it into his throat. John's eyes widened in horror and he heard Kaylee gasp. The interviewer choked and gagged and finally was able to pull the pen from his throat before he fell out of the chair, dead.

River's bloodstained hand pressed against the camera screen. "I can see you," she whispered.

Simon turned away, throwing up. "_Wuh de tyen, ah!_" he moaned.

John felt sick, tortured. He'd never hated anything more than he hated the Academy, the Alliance. He hadn't even hated Skynet this much, hadn't hated the TX that had murdered his mother this much. River's was a fate worse than death. They'd destroyed her, turned her into their puppet. And now, he realized, they'd turned her into a killer. Alliance assassins weren't born. They were broken. River had been broken.

It killed him. It broke his heart. As he looked around the room, he could see the effect it had on the rest of the crew as well. Simon was still crouched on the floor, weeping. Kaylee was trying her best to comfort him, and John could see the pain on her face as well. Mal tightened his jaw and turned away from them all.

Everyone seemed heartbroken.

Except Cameron.

The look on Cameron's face was murderous, more than he'd ever seen before. "I'm going to kill them," she stated, her voice filled with deadly intent.

Zoe looked to Mal, her voice shaky but her face betraying nothing. "What now, Cap'n?"

"This don't change nothin'," Jayne protested. "Look, she may've been normal at some point, but that's a long ways now. She's a danger to us here."

"He's right," Mal agreed reluctantly.

"Were you even watching?" Simon spat. "Did you _see _what they-?"

"I understand, Doctor, surely I do," Mal replied calmly, his voice full of compassion unlike John had ever heard from him before. "But what they did to her made her into some kind of assassin which don't bode especially well for the rest of us. She stays in the hold. For now. _Dong luh mah?_"

Simon's jaw clenched and he spun around and stormed off down the hall. Kaylee hesitated in the doorway, shooting Mal a glare. "_Kew u de lao bao jun._" John watched as she followed Simon down the hall.

He turned to Mal. "Did you see what they did?" he demanded, his voice stricken.

"It's okay, Connor," Zoe cautioned.

"No, it's _not _okay," John retaliated. "What they did to her…"

"…is a terrible affair," Mal finished sincerely. "But we can't do nothin' bout it right now."

"We can destroy it," John insisted strongly. "The Academy. The Alliance. We have to do _something_."

"You're not the only one who cares about River," Mal replied quietly.

"But I'm the only one who's willing to do anything about it!"

"Cap'n's right," Zoe spoke up. "We can't fight the Alliance."

"Already tried that," Mal agreed. "Look where that got us."

John gestured toward Cameron. "You forget. Cameron _can't _die."

"Trust me, Alliance would find a way," Mal replied. "You just sit tight. I ain't sayin' we give up. But the rest of us ain't death crazy like you seem to be. We'll be at Haven soon. I'll talk to the Shepherd, see where that takes us."

**Serenity **

**Storage Locker**

Simon had gone straight to the storage locker, finding River inside, staring up at him, her eyes wide. And he knew that she had probably been inside the minds of every crew member as they watched those tapes, felt what they had felt.

He collapsed onto the floor next to her, crying. "River, I'm…I'm so sorry…I should have gotten you out of there sooner…. I should have known, should have moved faster…" She had written him letters for the longest time, given him clues. He'd taken too long to figure it out. Too long to gather the resources, the people needed to perform the escape…

Too long, too late…

"Simon…"

He turned to her, his face twisted in agony. "I'm… so sorry."

"I'm sorry," River repeated. "You gave up everything you had to find me. And you found me broken."

Simon gripped her hand tightly. "You'll be okay. I _promise_."


	7. Some Must Believe

_Chinese Translations:_

_ Sheh sheh – thanks_

_jun duh sh tyen-tsai__ - absolute genius_

**Chapter Seven:**

**Some Must Believe**

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

"We're entering Haven's atmo now."

Mal nodded at Wash's comment, bringing himself back into their present situation. "How long?"

Wash shrugged casually. "Fifteen minutes? Unless I accidentally flip us over and lose control and send us smashing into the ground to a fiery demise. That would be quicker."

Mal was already heading towards the door. "Let me know if that happens."

He met the rest of the crew near the exit ramp right as Wash touched down in Haven.

"Wait for me!" Wash called frantically over the radio.

Mal hit the button for the ramp and it descended. Waiting just outside to greet them was Shepherd Book. Mal grinned at the sight of his old passenger.

As soon as Book finished greeting the crew, Mal decided to introduce him to the two newest passengers on _Serenity._

"As you can see," he remarked. "We got ourselves some new folk on the old boat." John and Cameron stepped down the ramp.

Book smiled quizzically. "I don't understand."

"Oh, it ain't River," Mal replied. "This may sound crazy but they're River's parents, time travelled from a future of a different sort. Or a past. One or t'other." He nodded towards John. "That one's John Connor, kid leader of a resistance that never was. And that's Cameron who is anything but a normal human."

Book still seemed curious. "So what is she?"

"Oh, she's a cyborg," Mal replied as if it were the most normal thing in the world. Book seemed puzzled and Mal clapped him on the back. "I conjure you're probably mighty confused, but I'll explain later. You and me got a lotta catchin' up to do."

**Haven**

The entire crew of _Serenity _was gathered around the campfire and Mal was up on the hill "gettin' counsel from the shepherd" as he had put it.

John glanced over at Simon who was sitting motionlessly and staring into the fire.

"How'd you get her out of there?" John asked.

Simon didn't look up from the fire. "I spent two years trying to find a way. I paid some people to help me infiltrate the Academy and break her out. The Alliance marked us both as fugitives and we found passage on _Serenity._"

John could tell Simon didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Well, at least you got her out of there."

"Not in time."

John bit his lip, not knowing what to say.

Kaylee scooted closer to Simon, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You did good, Simon. You rescued her. You brought her to Serenity."

Simon's coldness melted away at Kaylee's touch. "She loves this ship," he whispered. "It's home to her."

"Just to her?" Kaylee questioned, her voice almost hopeful.

Simon looked over at her, but remained quiet.

John stood up, deciding to leave Simon and Kaylee alone for a while. He wandered back onto the ship where River was still being held.

She was in the storage locker, still handcuffed to the grate, as silent as the grave. Seeing her again just seemed to bring back images from her torture sessions.

"He's afraid," she whispered.

John looked at her. "Afraid of what?"

"Living."

He frowned, unsure of who she was referring to. "Who is?"

"Simon. He gave up his life. He wanted to save me, but he lost himself. He thinks he can bring me back. But he doesn't know that he can't find me. I am deep down and I cannot be found. I am broken and I cannot be fixed."

John didn't understand, not truly. But fixing things was something he had lots of experience with. "We're not giving up," he promised. "I can fix you."

"Why would you fix me?"

"Because… you're my daughter," John replied with a sad smile. "And no matter how weird that sounds right now, it's true. I will not abandon you. I promise."

**Haven**

Mal approached Shepherd Book, listening to the preacher's softly spoken prayer. "Lord I am walking your way. Let me in, for my feet are sore, my clothes are ragged. Look in my eyes, Lord, and my sins will play out on them as on a screen. Read them all. Forgive what you can and send me on my path. I will walk on until you bid me rest."

"Hope that ain't for me, Shepherd," Mal remarked.

"It's a prayer for the dead."

"Then I really hope it ain't for me."

Book looked over. "It's for the men River killed in that bar."

"Weren't River that did it, you know that," Mal replied quietly. "Someone decided her brain was just another piece of property to take, fenced it right up." In his mind's eye, he saw the vision of River, screaming "_You cut it out! You cut it out! You cut it out!_" He looked away, out down towards the bonfire where the rest of his crew was sitting and enjoying each other's company.

"You got a plan?" Book asked.

Mal shrugged. "Hiding ain't a plan?"

"It'll do you for a spell," Book agreed. "And the folks here'll be glad of the extra coin…"

"…but they'll be coming," Mal finished. "They're after this girl with a powerful will. I look to hear the tromp of their boots at any moment."

"You won't," Book replied. "This isn't a palms-up military run, Mal. No reports broadwaved, no warrants. As much as they want her, they want her hid. Means closed file. Means an Operative which is trouble you've not known."

Mal looked away. "I coulda left her there," he muttered. "I had an out. I had every reason in the 'verse to leave her lay and haul anchor."

"That's not your way, Mal."

"I have a way? That better than a plan?"

Book shook his head. "You can play the thug all you want, but there's more to you than you're ever likely to 'fess."

Mal glanced down, still thinking of a broken River. "You just think that cuz my eyes is all sorrowful and pretty."

Book ignored the jest, seeing right past it for what it was. "Only one thing is gonna walk you through this, Mal. Belief."

Mal shut down almost instantly, turning away. "You know I always look to you for counsel, but sermons make me sleepy, Shepherd. I ain't lookin' for help from on high. That's a long wait for a train don't come." He'd tried that once. Look where it got him.

"When I talk about belief, why do you always assume I'm talking about God?" Book questioned. Mal looked over and Book drew in a deep breath. "They'll come at you sideways. That's how they think: sideways. It's how they move. Sidle up and smile. Hit you when they're weak. Sorta man they're like to send believes hard. Kills and never asks why."

_How's a Shepherd know so much of this? _"It's of interest to me how much you seem to know about that world."

Book chuckled. "Wasn't born a Shepherd, Mal."

"You'll have to tell me about that sometime."

"No, I don't." Mal looked over and Book grinned before his face grew serious once more. "Sideways."

Mal nodded and continued staring out into the darkness.

**Serenity **

**Passenger Quarters**

John thrashed around on his bunk, plagued by dreams…nightmares. He saw himself out in the park, much like the one Derek had taken him to on his birthday. Only this time, it was slightly different. There was a gazebo across the way and he could hear some energetic music coming from it, played by fiddlers.

He followed the sound, seeing a bunch of people dancing joyfully around the platform. And he recognized Cameron up there as well. No, not Cameron, he realized. It was River. She was watching the other dancer's feet with fascination, studying the movements. And then she jumped right in, copying them, dancing around, smiling and laughing. Across the gazebo, John saw Simon with his eyes locked on his sister, a smile on his face at the joy she was feeling.

John started to step forward but the light in front of him grew brighter until it blinded him, drowning out the image of Simon and River and the gazebo. When the light receded, he was no longer in the park. He was in a house of some kind, watching an older version of himself hold a baby River in his arms.

John could feel the love that older John had for River, felt it as if it were actually himself. Everything that Future John felt was as real for John as anything. The moment ended abruptly when a Terminator burst through the wall, red eyes blazing.

"The war is over!" Future John protested. But he should have known. Even escaping into the future, he should have known he'd never be safe. He should have known something would follow him.

"Take her and run!" He shouted, but for the life of him, he didn't know who he was talking to – whether it be Cameron or maybe Allison. He turned to the Terminator.

"You may kill me, but you'll never hurt her," he swore. He pulled a grenade out and clicked it. "Neither one of us is leaving this place."

The grenade exploded in his hand and John felt a blast of heat, of pain.

And he jerked up in his bed. "River!"

Cameron was standing over him, staring at him, her face betraying her concern. "Cameron," he whispered, panting heavily. "I can't stop thinking about it."

"Was it a dream?"

"I don't know." He put a hand on his head, frowning. It had seemed too vivid to be a mere dream, too real. "It had to be, right? I mean, how can I have a memory of something that never happened to me?"

He heard River's voice echo in his mind. "_The memory, it isn't mine! And I shouldn't have to carry it. It isn't mine!_"

"She's telling the truth," he whispered. "Everything she says. Miranda – whatever it is, it's real. She has a memory of it, a memory that she ripped from the minds of her interrogators. A memory that's not hers." He swallowed hard. "And it's tearing her apart."

**Serenity **

**Cockpit**

John hurried up into the cockpit. The rest of the crew had to know. They had to know that River was right, that Miranda was real, whatever or whoever it was. When he approached the cockpit, though, he heard Mal's voice, as if it was streaming through a radio feed or from somewhere else on the ship.

"So what occasion's the wave?" Mal was asking. "Not that to see you ain't… well you look very fine."

"Oh, thank you," a female voice replied, a voice John didn't recognize.

He entered the cockpit, seeing the rest of the crew – minus Simon, and Mal of course – gathered around the viewscreen. "What's going on?" he asked.

Kaylee grinned giddily. "Cap'n's talkin' to Inara."

"Who's Inara?" Cameron questioned.

Wash smirked. "Mal's lambie-toes."

John raised an eyebrow.

The woman – Inara's – voice was still streaming through the feed. "If you happen to be close at all, you… the crew - could take your ease here for a while. And there'd be payment."

"Well, it would be…" Mal began. "I mean, I'd like to." He paused for a moment, then rolled his eyes, saying, "Kaylee's been missin' you somethin' fierce."

Everyone in the cockpit groaned. Jayne threw some of his popcorn at the screen in disgust.

Onscreen, Inara smiled. "I miss her too. I even miss my shuttle occasionally."

"Something's wrong," Cameron said curiously. "She's lying."

Zoe seemed to have already been thinking the same thing. "Don't have to be a cyborg to figure that one out."

Kaylee frowned. "Why you gotta go an' jump to conclusions?"

"Wait, am I missing something?" Wash asked.

John looked up towards the cockpit entry way as Mal stepped in, buttoning up his shirt. Talk in the cockpit ceased momentarily.

"So, Inara," Wash remarked pleasantly. "Nice to see her again."

Mal nodded casually.

Zoe cut right to the chase. "So, trap?"

"Trap," Mal confirmed.

"We goin' in?"

"Only but a few hours out," Mal replied.

Wash seemed skeptical. "Yeah, but remember the part where it's a trap?"

"If that's the case, then Inara's already caught in it," Mal answered. "She wouldn't set us up willing. Might be we got a shot at seein' who's turnin' these wheels."

"You think it has something to do with River," John said.

"Seems like everything does these days," Mal replied. "We go in."

Kaylee protested, "But how can you be sure Inara don't just wanna see you? Sometimes people have feelings. I'm referring here to people."

_And machines, _John thought with a quick glance over at Cameron.

Mal was silent for a moment. "You all were watchin' I take it?"

John looked around, wondering how the crew would react.

"Yes," Kaylee said sullenly.

"Did you see us fight?"

Kaylee frowned. "No."

"Trap."

**Serenity**

**Cockpit**

Wash flew with a steady hand, scanning the radar. "We're about 70 miles from the Training House, and nobody on the radar. If the Alliance is about, they're laying low."

"They're about," Mal said. "Find us a home. I'll take the shuttle a little closer." He turned to his first mate. "Zoe, ship is yours. Remember, if anything happens to me or if you don't hear from me within the hour, you take this ship and you come and rescue me."

Zoe seemed appalled. "What? And risk my ship?"

"I mean it!" Mal insisted. "It's cold out there and I don't wanna get left."

Cameron and John met Mal at the end of the stairs. "They can track you through your pulse beacon," Cameron stated. "You should remove it."

"_Sheh sheh_," Mal muttered. "Didn't ask for no help, though."

"You didn't have to," John replied.

Mal studied him briefly. "Granted, but I still woulda thought of that myself. This ain't my first time in a troublesome situation."

"I can imagine."

"I could come with you," Cameron suggested.

Mal shook his head. "That's not necessary."

John frowned. "You're walking into a trap, you know that right?"

"Yep, you know I heard that somewhere…" Mal replied as he continued off down the passage.

John shook his head as he watched the captain go. "That man's psychotic…"

Jayne walked by, grumbling, "You ain't the first to notice such."

_**Serenity**_

**Galley**

John heard commotion coming from the storage locker and he could hear River muttering to herself. He could barely make out the words from behind the door.

"They come out of the black," she was mumbling. "They come when you go."

He opened the door and stared at her, puzzled. "River?"

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "He's coming!" she shouted.

"Who?" he asked, perplexed.

"The ghost."

"What ghost?"

"The one who believes," she said. She looked up at him seriously. "The captain's in terrible danger."

John's eyes widened and he turned around to see Cameron and Kaylee sitting at the table, watching him. "Mal's in trouble," he reported. "River had a vision of him or something. Talked about some kind of ghost."

Kaylee jumped up instantly, calling for the rest of the crew, "Cap'n's in trouble!" She turned to John. "Who's the ghost?"

"I don't know. I'll ask her for clarification next time she decides to randomly have flashes of the future." He gestured to his Terminator protector. "Cameron, let's go. We'll take the other shuttle."

"Whoah!" Wash protested, coming down the steps from the cockpit. "That's just all manner of stupid. Remember what Mal said about staying put?"

"I remember him ordering Zoe to come rescue him."

"Okay, well, I remember _Zoe_ ordering us to stay put."

John scowled. "You always do what Zoe orders?"

Wash snorted. "Come talk to me when _you _are madly in love with a beautiful woman who can kill you with her pinkie!"

John looked over at Cameron, noticing Kaylee doing the same. He glanced back at Wash. "What if I told you _my _beautiful woman who can kill me with her pinkie will also kill _you_ if you don't let us go?"

Wash puffed out his chest. "I am a large semi-muscular man. I can take her."

John shrugged. "Okay." He moved aside to let Cameron step forward and Wash instantly reconsidered.

"You are completely off your nut," Wash exclaimed. "Mal and you are gonna have a personal chat when he gets back and by chat I imagine it would involve fists."

John started toward the shuttle bay, remarking, "Won't that be fun."

Kaylee followed him down the hall, worriedly. "Wait, what are ya plannin'? How you gonna get the Cap'n away from the Feds?"

John looked at Cameron, an idea forming instantly. "By giving them what they want."

Kaylee's eye lit up as she deduced his plan. "That's _jun duh sh tyen-tsai_!"

"Not quite," Zoe's voice interrupted. John looked back to see her approaching, followed by a charmingly sheepish Wash.

"No one likes a tattletale," Cameron remarked.

"Was I a tattletale?" Wash asked innocently. "Zoe, tell the cyborg with a killer pinkie that I wasn't a tattletale."

"You really think the Feds are gonna believe you?" Zoe asked. "We need a contingency plan."

"This _is_ the contingency plan," John countered. "Plan A was Mal getting in and out alive, which apparently ain't happening."

"Isn't," Cameron corrected.

"What?"

"It _isn't _happening."

John frowned. "What did I say?"

"Ain't."

John slapped a hand over his head. "Geez, they're rubbing off on me…"

Kaylee grinned. "Don't make it sound like such a bad thing."

Simon spoke up hesitantly. "Maybe I should go with you."

John shook his head. "No, they'd never believe that you allowed your sister to be captured. Which one of you is most likely to betray the Tams?"

Everyone glanced back at Jayne, who was busy cutting up some fruit and popping a bite into his mouth.

Jayne finally looked up, noticing everyone staring at him. "Why y'all lookin' at me?"


	8. The Ghost

_Oops, sorry its late. I'm on break from college right now and completely forgot yesterday was Monday..._

* * *

_Chinese Translations:_

_ Go-suh – dog crap_

_ Nee tzao ss-ma!_ _- You wanna bullet?_

**Chapter Eight:**

**The Ghost**

_**Serenity**_

**Passenger Quarters**

"I guess we don't have to worry about it not fitting," Simon joked as he handed Cameron one of River's dresses. She quickly changed into it and John stepped forward.

"In order for this to work," he began. "I need you… to be Allison."

Cameron gave him a look. "I am an infiltrator model. I can handle it."

John smiled slightly. "I don't doubt it."

They walked back up the galley where Jayne was waiting. He gruffly put the handcuffs on her and took both her and John into the second shuttle where they would fly down to the training house where Mal and Inara were.

Along with - as River had so cryptically put it - the ghost who believed.

**Training House**

So far, his gung-ho rescue attempt hadn't gone as Mal had predicted. He'd managed to sneak into the Training House wearing a fancible robe and he'd found Inara without any complicated problems.

As he'd predicted, she'd been caught in a trap, called him stupid for coming after her, which Mal didn't appreciate too much. But then _he _had come in. Some kind of Alliance military officer who had but one goal in mind – hunting down River. Mal stared at the Operative as the Alliance's assassin paced across the room.

"Captain…I hope you understand you can't beat us."

Mal shrugged. _I ain't the one that laid this pretty little bushwhack. _"I got no need to beat you. I just wanna go my way."

"And you can do that," the Operative confirmed, his tone deceptively friendly. "Just as soon as you let me take River Tam back home."

"Home?" Mal repeated. "I seen what home is. I seen what they did to her. Turned a sweet, innocent girl into a stir crazy killer by using her brain as a ruttin' playground. And I'll tell you right straight – not River, not her brother, not anyone on this crew…" He briefly thought of Jayne. "Well, almost anyone – thinks that place is a home. That poor kid belongs on a place like _Serenity_, not in a gorram lab."

The Operative was deathly silent for a moment. "You really believe that?"

Mal took a moment's pause, recalling Book's comment. _Only one thing's gonna walk you through this, Mal. Belief. _"I do."

"Are you willing to die for that belief?"

"I am." Mal raised his gun and aimed it at the Operative's chest. "You try to lay one finger on her, I swear by my pretty fancible robe I will end you."

The Operative didn't seem fazed by Mal's show. "I cannot allow you to leave with that girl."

"I'm not entirely convinced you can stop me," Mal replied.  
The Operative smiled slightly. "We'll see."

Mal fired a blast into the Operative's chest and the Alliance agent was sent reeling backwards. Mal grabbed Inara and started to pull her towards the door. _Well, that was easy. _What had she been frettin' about?

Something grabbed Mal from behind in a chokehold and Mal knew it was the Operative at his neck. "I am, of course, wearing full body armor."

"Is your face wearing armor?" Mal grunted. "Cuz I ain't seein' none."

The Operative knocked the gun out of Mal's hands and sent it flying across the floor. Inara tried to jump in, surprising Mal with her apparent skill in martial arts, but the Operative effortlessly kicked her aside, dropping her to the floor.

Mal jumped in brutally, trying to catch the Operative off guard, but the man blocked almost everything Mal threw his way. His precision was making Mal grow weary.

Finally, the Operative delivered a hard strike that made Mal completely spin around, dropping to the floor.

"What do you think is going to happen here, Captain?" the Operative asked, his voice amused.

Mal glared up at the man and started to struggle to his feet. At that point the door whooshed open and Mal saw a small group of Feds come in. _Must be the backup. Coward. _

But the Feds weren't paying Mal any attention.

And Mal soon learned why.

In their midst, handcuffed, was River Tam. Mal felt his insides turn to ice. Had the Feds found _Serenity_?

The Operative hadn't taken his eyes off Mal. "What is this interruption?" he asked irritably.

"Sir, we got her," the Fed replied. The Operative turned around to look at the Feds and the captive River. He saw Jayne step in afterwards, looking smug. And walking freely.

"No," Mal hissed. "Son of a-."

"River?" Inara exclaimed fearfully, looking to Mal as if wondering if this was part of a crazy rescue plan of his.

Jayne stepped forward, addressing the Operative. "Got the moon-brained crazy person for ya. You got my reward?"

"Yes, you will be compensated," the Operative replied. He looked over at Mal. "It seems that loyalty is a hard trait to come by in these times."

Mal shot daggers at his traitorous crew member. "What happened, Jayne? Money too good, you piece of _go suh_?" Why would Jayne attempt this again? On Ariel, the Feds had never intended to pay, and Mal had found him out. _What you do to any of my crew, you do to me!_

He stared at Jayne, his voice deadly, "You did it to _me_, Jayne."

The Operative smiled. "Commander, please take her out."

"Over my dead body," Mal snarled. He rushed the Operative with a wild strike. The man blocked it and delivered a hammer fist to Mal's shoulder, dropping him to one knee. Then he brought up his own knee and cracked Mal under the chin. Mal dropped backwards, fighting to stay conscious.

At this point, the Operative merely seemed annoyed. "I have no more stomach for games, Captain." He signaled to the Feds, and Mal weakly lifted his head up towards River, desperately thinking, _I failed her. _But as he met River's gaze, he saw them flash blue.

_Cameron?_

"Nothing here is what it seems," the Operative stated. "He's not the plucky hero. The Alliance is not some evil empire, this is not the grand arena…"

Mal smirked up at the Operative. "And that's not River."

At that instant, the Operative turned around to see Cameron snap the handcuffs, grabbing one Fed in a chokehold and shoving him back, knocking over three more Feds.

John burst in the door and tossed Vera to Jayne who proceeded to pump armor-piercing rounds through some of the other Feds.

"Stop them!" The Operative shouted.

Mal saw a Fed take aim at him and he tried to lunge for his pistol which was still on the ground. He heard the shots ring out - but Cameron had stepped in between the Fed and Mal, taking the bullets without flinching – and earning shocked looks from everyone in the room.

At first, they believed her to be wearing bullet proof armor, but one grazed her cheek. The Fed stared in disbelief.

"What the-?"

Mal retrieved his gun from the floor, rolled out from behind Cameron and took a clear shot at the Fed.

"Stop them! Somebody fire!" the Operative was still shouting. Cameron took a step towards the Operative and delivered a powerful metal punch to his face that sent him flying backwards. Mal smirked. Even the high and mighty Alliance assassin couldn't bounce back from a hit like that.

Mal delivered a spiteful kick to the Operative while he was down, but more laser bolts screamed by his ear and he turned back to the battle. More Feds had arrived, determined not to let Mal and his crew – and more importantly, who they believed to be River – escape.

"Some grenades would sure help right now!" Jayne hollered.

In the chaos, Mal grabbed Inara and helped her to her feet. John threw some grenades down and suddenly the place was overcome with smoke. Mal couldn't see three inches in front of him.

"Um, exactly what was the plan here?" he started to ask.

He felt someone grab his arm and start leading him towards the door. He kept a firm grip on Inara, guiding her along with him. A moment later they broke through the smoke screen and out of the room. Mal realized it was Cameron who had guided them through.

"That some kind of special cyborg vision?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied simply.

Mal watched as John paused at the entrance, throwing another grenade inside and covering his ears. The noise of the blast explosion was only overpowered by the screams of the Feds inside.

"Think that killed him?" Mal asked.

"No," Cameron said. "He's a ghost."

"What?"

"A ghost who believes."

He was about to make a comment about her sounding too much like River, but John hurried back up to meet them, scowling. "You deviated from the plan."

Mal started. "I didn't know there _was_ a plan."

"You, Jayne and Inara were supposed to walk out freely and I was going to cover Cameron's escape. We were all gonna meet back on _Serenity_."

"I can't know that!"

Cameron heard them coming first, but soon everyone turned to see another squadron of Feds coming down the hallway.

"This here's a recipe for unpleasantness…" Mal muttered.

"Split up," John ordered. "We'll meet at the shuttles."

Mal almost reprimanded the kid for giving orders, but decided that this was John's rescue mission and he could very well take the lead on it. Inara looked to be expecting him to go off as well, because she seemed surprised when he didn't.

"I think I've grown," he said simply. Cameron, John, and Jayne charged forward, taking on the Feds, and Inara tugged on Mal's sleeve.

"This way," she said. "I know the back exit."

By now, the entire Training House seemed to be aware of the Feds presence because they were all running, screaming, and hiding. Inara led Mal into an escape tunnel.

"I think that I was winning!" Mal remarked.

"What?"

"The fight. I think I would have won!"

Inara stared at him. "You were unconscious on the ground!"

"No, I wasn't."

They weaved around the Training House until Mal recognized the area where he had parked the shuttle. As he turned the corner, he saw a form and whipped his pistol up, barely realizing in time that it was Connor.

"_Nee tzao ss-ma?_" he demanded. "I almost shot you, you do not even realize!"

Inara was staring at Cameron, whose dress – and a bit of her face – was riddled with holes. "River? How did you-."

"Cameron," the cyborg corrected.

Inara's face scrunched up. "What?"

"It is a bit confusing," Mal agreed simply. "I'll explain later when we're not being chased by Feds intent on our ultimate demise." To John, he asked, "You take care of all them skillful backup?"

"Yessir," John reported. "Jayne's got the shuttles prepped and ready."

Mal was impressed. "Huh. Good work." Inara and John started towards the shuttles and Mal turned to Cameron. "Thanks for keeping me from getting all corpsified back there," he said gruffly.

"You're welcome."

_**Serenity**_

**Galley**

Simon was sitting in the storage locker with River when she started talking rapidly again. "He'll come when you call. He'll find us and kill us."

Simon shook his head, though he was pretty sure he didn't know who or what she was talking about. "River, that's not gonna happ-."

"The ghost can track you," she insisted. "Track the trajectory into the black. More than one and we're hidden where the ghost can't find."

Zoe had been at the doorway, listening. "Well, this is a first," she remarked. "I think I actually understood that. Wash! Prepare the nav-sats for launch!"

Wash leaped up from the table where he was eating. "Launch?" He bolted over to the comm. and radioed up to the cockpit. "Prepare the navsats for launch!" He paused a beat, his eyes widening in mock horror. "No one is up there! Oh my gosh, who's flying this thing? Oh, I think it's supposed to be me…"

_**Serenity**_

**Shuttle Dock**

Inara gracefully guided the shuttle back into its port of harbor and Mal quickly raced up to the cockpit where Wash immediately began to head for atmo.

"What's going to stop him from following us?" Inara asked.

"Ah," Wash said with a big grin. "We have launched the navsats, all in different directions. He'll have seven courses show up on his tracking screen. I don't think he'll be finding us any time soon."

"Good work," Mal said, impressed.

Wash shrugged. "Actually, it was River's idea."

"Oh…" Mal glanced up. "Well, River, I know you can probably hear me, so good work."

Zoe seemed concerned at his unruly appearance. "Sir, you don't look so good."

Mal winced as he rubbed a bruise on his head, sighing. "This has not been my best day ever."


	9. Goodbye to All That

_Bao-bay - sweetheart_

**Chapter Nine:**

**Goodbye to All That**

_**Serenity**_

**Galley**

John sat silently in the galley, observing the faces of the rest of the crew members when Inara had told them of the Operative and his trap.

"We've every reason to be afraid," Inara said solemnly.

Jayne scoffed in disgust. "Why? Cuz this guy beat up Mal? That ain't so hard."

"He didn't beat me up," Mal protested, coming through the doorway. "Nobody said that."

"I should have been there," Cameron responded. "I could have protected you."

"You did enough with your _jing-tsai_ rescue plan."

"He's not dangerous because he beat up Mal," Inara began again.

Mal huffed in annoyance. "He didn't—."

"It's because he's a believer," Inara pressed forward. "He's intelligent, methodical and devout in his belief that killing River is the right thing to do."

_Ghost who believes, _John thought, recalling River's words of warning.

"So no hope for a reward, huh?" Jayne asked.

John scowled at him. "How do you sleep at night?"

Jayne shrugged. "Close my eyes and curl up next to Vera."

"Who's Vera?"

Wash smirked. "Jayne's _bao-bay_. His very favorite gun."

John quirked an eyebrow. "He named it?"

"Did he mention any kind of a deal?" Zoe broke in.

Mal nodded once. "Give the two of them up, go my way."

"Which you was all ready to do not a day ago," Jayne protested. "What went south?"

"Cuttin' them loose ain't the same as handin' them over," Mal replied evenly. John knew it was more than that though. Mal had changed when he'd seen what had been done to River in the Academy. He wouldn't be cuttin' her loose any time soon.

"That so?" Jayne countered. "Cuz the corpse I'm about to become is having trouble telling the difference."

Kaylee glared at him. "Don't you have a heart?"

Jayne shrugged impassively, and John lurched to his feet, feeling a rush of anger. "Didn't you see those tapes?"

"Sure did," Jayne replied. "And I also recall a certain talk we had after. She may've been normal-like once but now she's a killer, the Alliance's assassin. She gets triggered again, I don't want her on this ship."

"We ain't givin' 'em up, Jayne," Mal replied firmly.

Jayne crossed his arms, glaring at the Captain.

"Did he say anything about Miranda?" Simon spoke up softly.

Inara shook her head, frowning. "What is that?"

"Don't know who or what, but it's on River's mind," Zoe replied.

"Conjure it might be the reason they're after her," Mal added.

Inara frowned. "You think maybe it poses some kind of threat to the Alliance?"

"Do we care?" Wash cut in curiously. "Are we caring about that now?"

Jayne slammed his fist down on the table. "The only people she's a threat to is us here on this boat!"

John glanced at Mal, wondering how the Captain would take Jayne's behavior. Mal glared at Jayne for a moment, then continued, "Look, we get back to Haven in a few hours time…"

"Oh yeah," Jayne mocked. "Hidin' under the shepherd's skirts, that's a manful scheme."

Mal bristled. "You wanna run this ship?"

"Yes!"

Mal seemed taken aback. "Well… you can't."

Jayne rose off the couch. "Do a darn sight better job than you. Gettin' us lashed over a couple of strays. No offense Doc, I think it's noble as a grape the way you look to River—."

John mouthed the words "noble as grape?" at Kaylee who simply shrugged.

"But she ain't my sister and she ain't your crew," Jayne continued. "Oh and neither is she exactly helpless. So where's it writ that we gotta lay down our lives for her which is what you steered us towards?"

"I didn't start this," Mal reminded him stonily.

Jayne paused. "No, that's right. The Alliance starts the war and you volunteer. Battle of Serenity, Mal. Besides Zoe here, how many –." Mal grit his teeth and turned to walk away. John had hoped Jayne would stop at that, but the man took another step forward, angrily shouting, "Hey, I'm talkin' at you!"

Mal turned around and John could see the look on his face. He didn't know all that had happened to Mal during that war, but he'd seen the reports of that final battle in Serenity Valley. How Mal and Zoe were the only two to make it out alive after the Independents had surrendered to the Alliance.

Jayne opened his mouth, with words that would no doubt cut through Mal like a sword and make life on this ship bad for everybody. John reacted instinctively, thrusting his fist into Jayne's jaw with all the power he could muster. Jayne grunted and dropped heavily to the floor.

Everyone stared at John, stunned momentarily. Then Wash piped up, "I like this kid."

The look on Mal's face was still unreadable, and John hesitated. "Look, I'm sorry if I violated some precious rule by hitting him, but I just didn't feel comfortable with him here and conscious."

"Thank you!" Simon exclaimed, exasperated, as if he'd been trying to convince _Serenity_'s crew of that fact all along.

John looked at Mal again. "I know I have no right speaking. I know I'm not a part of this crew." He gazed out across the room, at the rest of the crew. "But we have to stick together. We're going up against a dangerous target. You saw what they did to River. You know what they're capable of. We have to stop it. Finding out about this Miranda could be our only chance to hurt the Alliance for hurting River. I've been in a similar situation, in a war against a seemingly unbeatable enemy. And one thing I've learned through all this is that, even in the face of insurmountable odds, some people never give up. Some people always fight." He paused a moment, letting the words sinking in before asking, "Will you?"

Mal gave John a slight nod.

"Thanks, Connor," Simon spoke up quietly. "But I think this maybe a problem even you and your cyborg can't fix."

_**Serenity**_

**Galley**

Jayne groaned from on the floor and Kaylee looked down at him, watching impassively as Jayne blinked open his eyes, murmuring, "Wha happened?"

Kaylee didn't reply and Jayne sat up, rubbing his jaw. "He hit me!"

"You were askin' for it," Kaylee retorted. "Like to do it myself if you woulda kept it up."

Jayne curled his lip and she got up from the table and headed downstairs. Simon was in the infirmary, patching up a few cuts and grazes that Mal and John had received in the Training House breakout.

"We can get off at the Haven," Simon was suggesting. "River and I can get off-."

Zoe held up a hand. "Nobody is saying that."

"Nobody besides Jayne is saying that," Wash corrected.

"You can't just leave," Kaylee piped in, her face betraying her concern. "They'll still find you. Cap'n has a plan. Right, Cap'n?"

Mal rolled his sleeve down over the bandage, glancing from Kaylee to Zoe to John.

"Cap'n always has a plan," Zoe assured Kaylee, shooting Mal a look.

Simon glanced over at Cameron, wincing at the damage on her face. "Does she need any…"

John looked over. There were still a few cuts on Cameron's face but they seemed to be getting better. "Oh, she'll heal on her own," he assured Simon. "It's already looking better."

Simon frowned dubiously, "Right…"

A shot rang out from the upper deck and suddenly everyone was in motion. Mal grabbed his gun and led the crew upstairs where they found the door to the galley sealed off.

John could barely see past Zoe into the window, but he could make out someone lying unconscious – or dead – on the ground. The storage locker door was open.

"She's out," Zoe reported crisply. "Jayne's down."

"The other way," Mal ordered. "Find her and do not engage."

As the rest of the crew headed off in separate directions, John moved to follow, but Cameron grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Wha-."

"Where will she go?" Cameron questioned.

John hesitated. If River was out and had sealed the door, there must be a purpose for it. What purpose did River have? What was on her mind other than…

"Miranda," John realized. "The memory."

Before he could react, he heard the door whoosh open behind him and saw River standing there, staring at Simon like he was a stranger.

Simon opened his mouth to speak but River threw a punch into his throat and kicked him to the ground. Simon dropped like a rock, unconscious.

John moved forward instinctively, but River roundhouse kicked him in the stomach, sending him backwards. Cameron moved forward, deflecting River's powerful punches. River was strong but she wasn't made of solid metal.

Cameron threw all her weight against River, knocking her to the ground and pinning her there.

"He has to see!" River protested, struggling against Cameron's vise-like grip. "He has to see what he doesn't want to!"

John tried to pull Cameron off. "Cameron… let her up." Cameron stood and River rose to her feet, her eyes darting from John to Cameron, studying them both warily. John held up his hands, trying to assure her that they weren't a threat. "What does he have to see?"

"Death," River whispered.

Cameron looked over at John. "Miranda."

River turned and bolted towards the cockpit. John glanced at Cameron once and followed, through the galley and up the stairs. River was already seated in the pilot's chair and searching the space charts.

Less than a minute later, Mal appeared in the doorway and, without turning or stopping her work, River lifted her gun and pointed it at his chest.

"Wait, River," John cautioned. Mal was looking at John with confusion, possibly betrayal. "You have to listen to her, Mal. It's important."

Mal hesitated, still eyeing River's gun. "Alliance's man says she's a danger to us. Not worth helping." The words seemed to hit River hard and she turned slightly. "Is that true? Are you anything but a weapon?"

John couldn't help but glance over at Cameron.

"I've staked my crew's life…and those who aren't my crew," he added with a pointed look at John and Cameron. "…on the theory that you're a person, actual and whole and if I'm wrong, you'd best shoot me now."

River cocked the pistol and John's muscles tightened.

"Or we could talk more," Mal improvised, swallowing hard. John was staring at River. She wouldn't really hurt Mal, would she? Because deep down, somewhere, she was still that sweet innocent girl in that video, the smart, bright, vivacious girl who only wanted to learn. The girl who loved to dance.

River turned around, lowering the gun and pointing to a picture of a planet on the screen. "Miranda."

Mal took a step forward. "Miranda… It's not a person… it's a planet…" He glanced over at John. "Connor, go call the others up here."

John gave him a mock salute. "Aye aye, Captain."

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

For the first time since the incident at the Maidenhead, River was roaming freely on the ship. John had to imagine it was a good feeling for her.

The rest of the crew seemed puzzled by River's revelation of the Miranda planet. Everyone except Jayne, who was still grumbling in the corner and rubbing his head.

Kaylee turned away from the screen, baffled. "How could it be there's a whole planet called Miranda and none of us knowed that?"

"Cuz there isn't," Mal corrected. "It's black rock. Uninhabitable. Terra-forming didn't hold or some such. A few settlers died."

"Was it right before the war?" Zoe asked.

John glanced over at River who was sitting beside her brother, looking a lot more normal now that she wasn't being controlled by her obsession. Simon was rubbing his throat, working his jaw.

"I had to show him," River said, her voice apologetic. "I didn't know if you were gonna make me sleep."

"You could have asked," Simon replied, his voice still a bit hoarse.

"Wait a tick, yeah!" Kaylee cried. "Some years back there was call for workers to settle on Miranda. Daddy talked about it."

"But there's nothing about it on the Cortex," Wash replied, scanning his own computer screen. "History, astronomy, it's not in there."

"Half of writing history is hiding the truth," Mal responded. "There's something on that rock the Alliance don't want known."

"That's right on the edge of the Burnham quadrant, right?" Inara spoke up. "Furthest planet out? It's not that far from here."

Before John could agree that they should check it out, Wash exploded, "Whoa! No!"

"That's a bad notion," Zoe agreed.

"You show them the bad!" Wash continued.

Zoe rose from her seat and moved toward the viewscreen. "I got it, baby." She zoomed out of the close up of Miranda and pointed to another location on the map. "This is us at Haven. And here's Miranda. All along here, that empty space in between, that's Reaver territory."

John could almost feel the terror that entered the room. He glanced once at Cameron, but she didn't seem to react to the name.

"What are Reavers?" he asked.

Zoe gave him a meaningful look. "If they board us, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh and sew our skins into their clothing and if we're very very lucky, they'll do it in that order."

John winced. "Something tells me she's given that speech a lot."

"Welcome to the Black," Kaylee echoed ominously.

Mal must have noticed John's complacent reaction. "Seems like you ain't too worried."

John shrugged. He wasn't scared of much nowadays. "We've got her." He nodded towards Cameron. "Besides, Reavers wouldn't be the first monsters I've seen."

"Yeah," Jayne muttered sarcastically. "I'm sure you've seen a great bung of monsters in your twelve years of life."

"I'm not twelve," John shot back. "But by that time, I'd already seen my fair share. Terminators," he elaborated. "They're stronger, faster, smarter than any human. You can't outrun them, can't outfight them. They don't feel anything, no pain, no fear, no hesitation."

"Neither does Reavers," Jayne pointed out, his voice laced with an edginess John had never heard from him before. It was almost as if the great fearless muscle on the ship had a weakness. He was truly terrified of Reavers.

"There ain't nothin' in the 'Verse worse than Reavers," Mal agreed.

John frowned. After having seen Terminators, how bad could Reavers be? "What are they?"

"They was men once," Kaylee said softly.

"Reavers ain't men," Mal corrected. "Or at least, they forgot how to be. Reached the edge of space, saw a vasty nothingness and that's what they became."

"Cuttin' on their own flesh," Jayne continued. "Kill and eat people alive. Them's Reavers." He gave a quick nod to Cameron and River. "All the crazy killer-womans in the 'verse can't stop Reavers."

"And there's a whole fleet of them between us and Miranda," John concluded, letting out a breath. "So how do we get past them?"

"We don't," Wash cut in. "There's no other way around."

"Nobody ventures there, not even Alliance," Zoe agreed. "You go through there, you're signing up to be a banquet."

Wash turned back to the controls. "I'm on board with our standard run and hide procedure. And it looks like we're just about…" He stopped, staring out the cockpit window. "Wait…"

John looked out the window, barely recognizing the Haven. Smoke and fires burned as far as he could see. A ship of some kind lay crashed in one end, and even from up in the sky, he could make out dozens of dark shapes – bodies - scattered across the desert ground.

Wash set them down as quickly as he could in a clear spot and everyone rushed for the entrance. John followed, knowing exactly their real fear.

Their old friend and crewmate, Shepherd Book, was here. John hadn't gotten a chance to get to know the Shepherd himself, but everyone else spoke highly of him. Even Jayne, which John knew was probably a miracle in itself.

Mal charged down the ramp, with Jayne right behind him, glancing around, clutching his gun just in case.

"Don't look like Reavers…" he muttered.

"It wasn't," Mal replied quickly.

Kaylee moved through the wreckage, shouting desperately. "Shepherd! Shepherd Book!"

John and Cameron followed numbly, past the lifeless bodies of the people who had sheltered them not a day ago. River was up ahead, staring sorrowfully at a swingset that was burning with flames.

"River… are you okay?" John asked gently.

She didn't turn around, never took her eyes off the fire. "Everything burns…" she whispered. "So much death…"

He couldn't disagree with her. In fact, if he really thought about it, he imagined this was probably like how Judgment Day would have looked. Everything burned, everyone dead.

He turned away, closing his eyes in grief.

This was the beginning of the end.


	10. You're Not a Reaver

_Chinese Translations:_

_ Juhgu jee hua jun kuhpah - there's nothing about this plan that isn't horrific_

**Chapter Ten:**

**You're Not a Reaver**

**Haven**

John walked through the destruction, following the direction the Captain had taken. Up ahead, John saw Mal scramble to someone's side, and he and Cameron rushed forward, spotting Shepherd Book lying against the stone well, clutching his bleeding stomach.

Mal gripped the Shepherd's hand tightly, his face tortured. He glanced up at Jayne. "Get the Doc!" he shouted. "Shepherd. Don't move."

"Won't go far," Book murmured.

Mal snapped his head towards Cameron. "How is he?" he demanded.

Cameron knelt down next to Book and placed her hands on his wound, surveying the damage. "I can't fix it."

Mal's face twisted as he looked back at Book. "Shouldn't have been you. Alliance should've hit us. Should've hit me."

"That crossed my mind," Book agreed, weakly. "I shot him down."

Mal glanced over at the crashed ship. "Yeah, I see."

"I killed the ship that killed us. Not very Christian of me."

Mal's grip tightened. "You did what's right."

Book tried to chuckle. "Coming from you that means… almost nothing."

John crouched down, putting a hand on Cameron's shoulder to get her attention. "Status," he asked softly.

Cameron met his gaze firmly. "Termination imminent."

"She's right…" Book whispered. "I'm long gone."

"No, Doc'll bring you around," Mal assured him.

Cameron seemed confused. "There's nothing he can do. He's lost too much blood-."

"Shut up!" Mal snapped.

John grabbed Cameron's arm, half-pulling her to her feet. "Hey, let it go."

"It won't do any good," Cameron protested. "He's dying."

"I know," John said softly. "And Mal… is grieving." He glanced down at the Captain, whose attention was focused solely on the dying Shepherd Book.

"Just don't move."

"Can't order me around, boy," Book replied, fighting for each breath. "I'm not one of your crew."

Mal gripped Book's hand with both of his. "Yes, you are," he said firmly. And in that moment, John saw more of Malcolm Reynolds than he ever had before. Beneath the Captain's cold exterior, he cared deeply. He hurt deeply.

"River…" Book murmured.

Mal glanced up, searching for Simon. "Come _on_!" he shouted.

Book reached up, putting his hands on Mal's face urgently. "I don't care what you believe. Just believe it. Whatever you…"

John fought against his own emotions as Book slipped away.

"He's gone," Cameron said softly.

Simon came running up, carrying his medical bag, but Mal rose sullenly to his feet and started into the ship.

Jayne was still holding a tight grip on his gun, looking around nervously. "How come they ain't waiting? They know'd we was coming how come they only sent one?"

"They didn't know we were comin' here," Zoe replied, turning to Wash. "Get on the Cortex. Wave Li Shen, the Sanchez brothers, anyone who's ever sheltered us after a heist. Tell them to get out, get out now!"

Wash raced off towards the ship.

"I don't understand," Kaylee protested.

"Their target went into hiding," Cameron responded. "Their only logical move is to destroy any place where you might seek refuge."

Less than a minute later, Wash returned, his face ashen and his normally cheerful demeanor slumped with defeat. "They're all dead," he whispered, his voice thick with grief. "We were too late."

.

**Haven**

River was standing motionless off to the side, appearing to be whispering to herself. John drew closer, straining to hear. She noticed him.

"The Captain," she said. "He's talking to the ghost."

John hesitated. "What's he saying?"

"The longer you keep River Tam from me, the more people will die," she whispered. "Of course you care. You're not a Reaver, Mal."

John paused, letting her words – well, the Operative's words – sink in. _Not a Reaver… _His eyes snapped up, a plan forming. "No, he's not a Reaver… but he can act like one."

Cameron looked up at him, cocking her head. "I don't understand."

John spoke louder, drawing the attention of the rest of the grieving crew. "We can't keep running from the Alliance. They'll hunt us down. The only chance we have is getting to Miranda."

"That's Reaver territory," Wash reiterated. "We already discussed how completely crazy goin' in there would be."

"Not if we play a part," John countered. "A disguise."

"Disguise as Reavers?" Jayne exclaimed. "You're ruttin' crazy!"

Not even Zoe seemed to think highly of such a plan. "You don't understand what you're saying, kid. You haven't seen what Reavers truly are."

"Like what?" John demanded.

"There's no way _Serenity _could pass for a Reaver ship," Zoe explained. "They tear their boats asunder, splash blood across the hull and decorate it with corpses. Besides, there's no way the Captain would be stupid enough to risk it."

Mal came bursting out of the ship, shouting, "Zoe! I need your help, we're gettin' to Miranda."

Zoe looked back at John. "Then again, he has his moments." As Mal approached, she observed him curiously. "How, sir, do you plan on that?"

"Get these bodies together," Mal ordered.

Zoe's face changed. "We got time for grave diggin'?" Her voice was uneasy, hopeful even. As if she knew exactly what the other option was.

"Zoe, you and Simon rope em together, five or six," Mal ordered. "I want 'em laid out on the nose of our ship."

Simon's mouth dropped open. "Are you insane? I won't desecrate these bodies…"

Mal stopped in front of Kaylee, who was looking around, visibly upset and confused. "I don't understand. What do you mean the bodies?"

"I want you to muck up the reactor core," Mal said. "Just enough to leave a trail and make it read like we're flying without containment but not enough to fry us."

"These people are our friends!" Kaylee protested.

Mal put a hand on her shoulders, as if conveying that he understood, but also to emphasize the seriousness of his request. "Kaylee, you've got a day's work to do and two hours to do it." He stepped away. "Jayne, you and Wash hoist up the cannon mount. Goes right on top. Piece or two of the other ship, stick it on. Any place you can tear a hull without inner breach, do that too." He glanced around, his mind still working feverishly. "We're gonna need paint. We're gonna need red paint."

Zoe looked deadly serious, as if she couldn't believe Mal was seriously suggesting such a thing. "Sir, do you really mean to turn our home into an abomination so that we can make a suicidal attempt at passing through Reaver space?"

"I mean to live," Mal replied evenly. "I mean for us to live. The Alliance won't have that so we go where they don't follow."

"There ain't no way we're goin' out there," Jayne protested.

Everyone began talking at once, trying to talk Mal out of his crazy scheme – everyone except John, Cameron, and River.

"Think about what you're asking," Inara pleaded.

Wash grumbled, "_Juhgu jee hua jun kuhpah_."

"Them Reavers'll eat us alive…!" Jayne shouted.

Mal had obviously had enough of the dissent. He pulled his gun from his holster, holding it at his side. All talk instantly ceased.

"This is how it is," he said firmly. "Anybody doesn't wanna fly with me anymore, this is your port of harbor." He stalked off a few feet, towards the crashed Alliance ship where the pilot had crawled up out of the opening, holding his hands up in surrender. "There's a lot of fine ways to die and I ain't waiting around for the Alliance to choose mine," Mal finished, lifting his pistol and shooting the survivor.

John feels a twinge of remorse at the captain's execution, but not even Kaylee made a sound. Mal turned back and looked at John.

"You said it yourself, Connor. The only way to get back at the Alliance is to find out what they're hidin' on Miranda." Everyone now seemed to be looking at John, as if blaming him for their current predicament.

"I mean to confound these bungers," Mal continued. "Take my shot at gettin' to Miranda, maybe find something there I can use to get clear of this. So I hear a word outta any of you that ain't helpin' me out or takin' your leave, I will shoot you down."

No one made a sound and Mal shoved his pistol back into his holster and stormed away, ordering under his breath, "Get to work."

River watched him go and John wondered if she understood the incredible risk Mal was taking for her. As soon as the Captain was gone, the rest of the crew starting moving, silently at first, to do their dirty jobs.

John swallowed bile as he dragged a body over to where Simon and Zoe were tying them together.

"This is insane," Simon muttered as he worked.

"It ain't right," Kaylee agreed as she walked past, heading towards the engine room on _Serenity_.

Cameron observed them curiously, tilting her head. "They're already dead."

"Cameron…" John protested.

She looked at him, as if wondering why he was reacting in such a way. "Was that bad to say?"

From across the way, River spoke up, "They're just bodies now. Bones and meat. No soul, no life."

Wash scowled. "Well, I'm glad we made that clear," he said irritably.

Jayne seemed flighty and nervous. "Y'all quit yammerin' and git this cannon mounted." He started off and Wash reluctantly moved to follow.

John stared after Jayne, his eyes narrowed in spite. "The man has no heart."

"No… he's grieving," Cameron replied.

John looked back at her. "What?"

"That's how he grieves," she replied. "Keep moving."

**Two Hours Later…**

_**Serenity**_

The Reaver-fied _Serenity _was ready to make way. Mal had remained detached from his emotions as he worked with the crew to tie the bodies across the hull, splashing red paint all over his beloved ship and tearing bits and pieces off it.

But if this worked… it would all be worth it.

"Captain-," Zoe started, as he walked past.

"Just tell me when we're close," Mal replied. He wandered towards the shuttles, leaning against the doorframe and closing his eyes, letting out a sigh.

"Mal…"

Mal almost jumped at the sound of her voice. "Inara. Didn't see you."

"I figured that." She was inside her old shuttle, digging through the box she had left behind the first time. Mal nodded towards it.

"Anything of use in there?" he asked, more just to make conversation than of real interest.

"Maybe."

He bit his lip, lingering in the doorway. "You don't have to stay in the shuttle, you know. There's empty rooms if you wanna sleep a while."

"You think anyone's set to sleep?" she asked as if such a thought was unheard of. "Simon's portioning out overdoses of morphine just in case."

Mal stifled a half-hearted smile. "Cheerful fellow." He glanced around at the shuttle, picturing it again the way it had been when Inara had been livin' in it. "Did you really miss this place?"

"Sometimes," Inara admitted. "Not so much right now."

Mal couldn't blame her for that. But thinking 'bout her shuttle brought up another memory, a memory he still hadn't come to terms with. He glanced down at the floor.

"Why'd you leave?" he asked, unable to keep the sorrow out of his voice.

She stared up at him, her eyes soft and holding a sadness of their own. "Why didn't you ask me not to?"

Mal knew he should say more. He wanted to say more. But he merely cleared his throat, glancing away. "I, uh, I'd better go check on the crew," he replied, backing away. "See how the inevitable mutiny is coming along."

He could still see the look on Inara's face but she nodded. "Yes," she said quietly. "I…suppose you should."

Mal bit his lip and turned away, heading back the way he came. He wasn't expecting to run into John, who was standing in the middle of the catwalk, his arms crossed and staring at Mal as if Mal had just done something utterly repulsive.

Mal had no stomach to argue with the kid right now. "Connor," he greeted. "Shouldn't you be elsewhere? Planning a hostile takeover with the rest of the crew?"

"I'm not questioning your orders," John responded. "I know what it's like to make… tough decisions."

"That a fact?"

"But you're making the wrong decision right now."

Mal's face darkened and he held up a hand and turned to leave. "No, I –."

"Not about Miranda," John clarified. "Not about the Reavers. I'm talking about Inara."

Mal halted in his tracks, turning back to face John, who still had that stony look on his face. "Come again?"

"You heard me," John retorted. They both were silent for a moment and John's face softened. "You know… when I first met Cameron, I didn't know what she was. I just knew… she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen."

Mal pursed his lips, pretending to be bored. "Hmm?"

John ignored him and continued, "And then later down the road, I pushed her away because I knew it was impossible for her to love me. I met this one girl, Riley, and at that point, Cameron started… doing things. At first I didn't understand, but she was jealous."

Mal crossed his arms, mirroring John's stance from before. "This supposed to have some kind of meanin' to it?"

John's intense stare made it seem to Mal as if the kid was looking right through him, right into his very soul. "I _know_, Mal," he said. "River told me. About the Heart of Gold."

Mal stiffened at the mention.

"About you and Nandi," John continued. "And how Inara felt when she found out."

Mal looked away, shaking his head. Inara hadn't cared. She'd made that perfectly clear to him. "She didn't-."

"River reads emotions, Mal," John replied gently. "I can tell you…Inara cared. Deeply."

Mal stood perfectly still, trying to process. Had Inara's act that morning really been a feint about her true feelings?

"And when Nandi died," John finished, eliciting a sharp look from Mal. "You and I aren't so different, Captain. Riley died too. And I blamed Cameron at first but she's the only one who's ever truly been there for me, through everything. Through every stupid thing I've done. Even when I didn't want her around."

"Yeah, but Cameron didn't leave you," Mal countered. "Cuz that ain't her mission, is it? Well, no one programmed Inara to stay." He looked away. "And she didn't."

"That's not the point," John objected. "The point is… she's back and it's up to you to determine whether she stays or not. You… have to tell her the truth."

"The truth?"

"About how you feel."

Mal shook his head and turned away again. He heard John call after him, "What if this goes south?"

Mal paused. "What?"

He heard John's boots clicking on the catwalk as the young man walked closer. "What if the Reavers catch on? What if we don't make it? Wouldn't you want her to know?"

Mal remained silent and finally John walked past, leaving him contemplating. Mal knew the kid was right. If they didn't make, there was no harm in Inara knowing. And if they did, well, after this was over, Inara would most like be heading back to the training house. And he probably wouldn't see her again.

So what was the harm in tellin' her?

He turned away from the doorway and half-walked, half-ran back towards the shuttle, bursting through the doorway and startling Inara.

"You're right," he told her before she could say a word.

Inara started to shake her head, "Mal…" Then she seemed to realize what he had said. "What?"

"You're right, Inara," he continued. "I shoulda spoken up sooner. I shoulda asked you to stay. And I was stupid to let you go."

Inara stared up at him, as if not believing that the words were coming from his mouth. "Mal..."

He held up a hand. "I know I ain't like all them smart and fancible fellows you're used to. But that don't change how I… how I feel. And I conjure this could be mighty awkward if you don't perchance feel the same. But I… couldn't let it end like…the way it ended." He collected his thoughts once more. "So there it is. I thought you should know. In case we…" He thought about making a joke but decided against it. "Well, in case this don't work. In case we don't make it."

Inara was staring at him, her lips parted, speechless.

Mal forced a smile and ducked back out the way he had come.

_**Serenity**_

**Catwalk**

John had done all he could. He had tried to make Mal come to terms with his feelings, to tell Inara the truth. He wasn't sure if Mal had actually gone back to see Inara or not.

But as soon as John had spoken the words to the Captain, he felt the truth of it on his own heart. Because he realized, he still hadn't treated Cameron properly. He still hadn't told her how _he _felt.

Without wasting a minute, John hurried down to the passenger quarters where Cameron was sitting calmly. She looked up at him as soon as he entered.

"There's a sixty three percent chance that we'll be terminated in our attempt to cross Reaver space, based on what knowledge I've learned about Reavers," she reported. "The probability will most likely increase when I actually have a visual."

"Comforting…" John muttered, then he sighed and sat down next to her on the bunk. "Cameron, there's something I needed to say to you. If we die…" he swallowed hard. "I just wanted you to know… I love you, Cameron. I've always loved you. And I'm sorry for all the times I never said it."

He saw Cameron smile slightly and he felt his spirit lift. There was a sound at the door and John looked over to see River.

"We won't die," she assured him. "Don't be afraid."

John looked over at Cameron and smiled.

"I'm not."


	11. We Aim to Misbehave

_Chinese Translations:_

_ Runtse de shang-dee, ching daiwuhtzo_. _- Merciful God please take me away_

_Wuoshang mayer, maysheen, byen shr-to - I will close my ears and my heart and I will be a stone_

**Chapter Eleven:**

**We Aim to Misbehave**

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

Everything had worked out better than Mal could have hoped for. None of the Reavers had paid them any mind and _Serenity _had coasted right on through their space without issue, if not without a bit of fear.

Now, they were breaking through atmo on the hidden planet of Miranda.

"Every reading I'm getting says normal," Zoe reported. "Oceans, land masses. No tectonic instability or radiation."

"Yeah but no power, either," Wash commented.

Mal frowned at that. "Nothing at all?"

"Wait… Something… could be a beacon but it's awful weak."

"Find it," Mal ordered.

Wash nodded. "Will do, Captain."

Mal headed down towards the cargo bay, finding John waiting on the catwalk, looking curious. "What's the plan, Captain?"

"Ain't much of one," Mal replied with a shrug. "Zoe and I'll take the suits out first, see if it's safe."

John nodded once and Mal started to brush past him, then paused. "Hey, kid…"

John looked up expectantly.

"Thanks," Mal said, a bit grudgingly. "For the talk last night."

The kid smiled, something Mal had rarely seen him do. "You're welcome."

Mal nodded once and proceeded down the stairs into the cargo hold. He heard _Serenity _groan lightly as Wash set her down and not a minute later, Zoe was down beside him, suiting up and preparing to greet whatever harshness Miranda would throw at them.

Mal stepped off the ship onto Miranda, looking around. Everything seemed almost blinding white. He found that he could walk normally, reporting to Zoe, "Gravity's Earth-norm."

Zoe checked the scanner. "O2 levels check, pressure… if anything's wrong the scanner's not reading it."

Mal unlatched his helmet, gratefully pulling it off and breathing in the fresh air, glancing around uneasily. "Well something sure the heck ain't right." He stepped back into the ship, where Kaylee was waiting. "Get everyone else out here."

.

**Miranda**

John walked behind the rest of the crew, glancing around at the eerily quiet Miranda. "This ain't no little settlement," Jayne remarked.

Zoe concurred, "We flew over at least a dozen cities just as big. Why didn't we ever hear about this?"

John was getting a bad feeling about the whole situation. It only intensified when Zoe pulled ahead, crouching beside a skeleton. "No entry wounds, fractures."

"Poison?" Mal suggested.

They pressed on and John passed by the body, nudging Cameron. "Can you tell anything? Any kind of scanner for that?"

"No," she replied. "Only what Zoe already reported. No fractures or entry wounds."

"So we're talking poison," John agreed. "Mal's right."

They approached what seemed to be the center of the town. Jayne walked over to a small shuttle, peering in the window. "Gotta 'nother one," he said. "And they's just sittin here. Didn't crash."

Some viewscreens came to life overhead, triggered by some unknown sensor, causing everyone to jump at the sound. John spotted River out of corner of his eye. She suddenly whipped around, putting her hands to her mouth as if to stifle a scream. But there was nothing behind her.

_Memory? _John wondered. _Or vision?_

"Something's wrong, here," he murmured aloud. "Very wrong."

Mal gave him a cross look. "Your powers of observation are real remarkable, Connor."

John glanced over at Cameron. "What about you? See anything? Heat signatures? Life forms?"

Cameron scanned the area, no doubt using her Terminator vision. "No," she replied. "But there's a lot a death forms."

John had already noted the two that Zoe and Jayne had discovered, but he glanced around, not seeing anything else. "Like where?"

"Behind Kaylee."

Kaylee heard Cameron's comment and started to turn around.

"Kaylee, don't," Simon warned. But he was too late. Kaylee turned around to the window she'd been standing in front of. Pressed up against the glass was a gruesome corpse.

"Ah!" Kaylee screamed, jumping away. Simon winced, but the rest of the crew drew closer, staring at the dead body with morbid fascination. Inside the room, John could see dozens of corpses, all lying down at either desks or on the floor.

"How come these ones are preserved?" Jayne questioned.

"Place must've gone hermetic when the power blew," Mal deduced. "Sealed 'em."

"What are they doing?" Kaylee asked, her voice laced with hysteria. "What's everybody doing?"

Simon, being the doctor, stepped right up to the glass, examining the corpse that was leaning against the window. "There's no unusual discoloration," he remarked, as if it were odd. "Nobody's doubled over or showing signs of pain."

"What coulda done this?" Jayne asked, backing away from the window and glancing around nervously.

"Bioweapon?" John suggested.

"Bioweapons kill painless?" Mal asked.

John made a face. "I don't know. I've never been killed by one before. I'll be sure to check next time it happens."

"They didn't fall," Inara pointed out. "None of them. They just lay down."

From behind him, John heard River start crying out desperately in Chinese, "_Runtse de shang-dee, ching daiwuhtzo_. Make them stop! They're everywhere! Every city, every house, every room. They're all inside me. I can hear them all and they're saying… nothing!" She dropped to her knees, begging and pleading, "Get up, please get up!" Simon was at her side, trying fruitlessly to comfort her. River's eyes cast upward. "_Wuoshang mayer, maysheen, byen shr-to_. Please, God, make me a stone!"

Jayne took a heavy step forward, his jaw tight. "She is starting to damage my calm."

"Jayne…" Zoe cautioned.

"She's right!" Jayne exploded. "Everybody's dead. This whole world's dead for no reason."

Everyone stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment until Wash spoke up quietly, "Let's get to the beacon."

As Wash took the lead with the scanner, John looked over at Cameron, frustrated and upset. "It doesn't make any sense," he whispered. "How could an entire planet just… die?"

"The air," Cameron replied.

"But it's safe to breathe," John countered. "It's not like there's toxins in the air or anything. So what? Someone gasses the whole planet?"

"They didn't choke. They didn't fall."

"I know. So what killed them?"

Cameron glanced over at him. "Maybe it's the Pax."

John's forehead wrinkled. "The what?"

"River said it," Cameron replied. "In the tapes."

Before John could question her anymore, Wash informed them all, "This is the source."

They'd reached a small landing pad, with a damaged Alliance Research Vessel parked – or crash landed – at the end. As the crew stepped in, John surveyed the damage. The little ship was a mess, its doors pried open. There were several distinct signs of violence, of a fight, but there were no bodies.

"Ship's banged up," Jayne muttered, more to himself.

River pulled away from Simon, suddenly determined. She approached a console in the middle of the room and picked up a small cylindrical object, turning it so it was fitted properly on the hologram reader.

Instantly, a bluish image of a woman appeared in life size in the center of the room and everyone stared, transfixed. Several other images appeared in front of her, pictures of rotting corpses, piles of bodies.

"These are just a few of the images we've recorded," the woman began, trying to keep her voice steady. "And you can see… it isn't what we thought. There's been no war here, and no terraforming event, the environment is stable." She bit her lip. "It's the Pax. The G-23 Paxilon Hydroclorate that we added to the air processors. It was supposed to calm the population, weed out aggression."

Her eyes teared up and she choked out, "Well, it works. The people here stopped fighting. And then they stopped everything else. They stopped going to work, they stopped breeding, talking, eating." She still seemed to be fighting for control. "There's thirty million people here and they all just let themselves die."

A bang came from the recording and John almost jumped at the sound. "I have to be quick," the woman said. "About a tenth of a percent of the population had the opposite reaction to the Pax. Their aggressor response increased beyond madness. They have become… well, they've killed most of us." Her voice grew strained and tear-filled. "And not just killed… they've done things."

Wash's eyes widened in absolute horror. "Reavers," he whispered. "They _made_ them."

"I won't live to report this," the woman tearfully acknowledged. "But people have to know. We meant it for the best to make people safer." Another bang at the door and this time, John could hear the crack, the doors breaking down. The woman lifted her gun, shooting at the Reavers. Then she turned the gun to her own head, but before she could pull the trigger, a Reaver yanked her hand down and tackled her to the floor.

Her screams pierced the recording and Jayne winced. "Turn it off," he said quietly. Wash quickly removed the hologram, and the sound cut out instantly. The room was utterly silent, save for the muffled sobs.

John felt numb. Kaylee had turned away with her hand over her mouth. Cameron seemed to be studying everyone else's reaction.

River dropped to the floor, vomiting. Simon was instantly by her side, staring at her with his usual brotherly concern.

"I'm alright," she whispered. She lifted her head and looked back at him, her eyes still wet with tears but filled with clarity. "I'm alright."

And for the first time since the Academy, Simon knew she meant it.

John stepped out of the vessel, moving numbly a few paces away and staring off into the whiteness, imagining an entire world destroyed. Billions of lives, all across this planet. He knew the burden that River had been forced to carry, holding the secret of all those deaths. And knowing there was nothing she could do to stop it.

He was different, though. He had been able to stop Judgment Day's destruction. He'd been able to stop Skynet. But was this any better? Either way, it resulted in death. Humans destroyed by the very weapons they built to protect themselves. Destroyed by the very things they had created to make the world a better place.

He was aware of Cameron standing quietly at his side and he pressed his lips together tightly. "We can't win, can we? No matter what we do, we lose. Either the machines destroy us… or we destroy ourselves. There's no way out."

"No fate but what we make," Cameron reminded him.

"Humans made this fate for themselves," John said firmly. "Now we have to correct it."

"How?"

John looked over across the way at the Captain who had just emerged from the beacon room. He nodded once at John, as if he knew exactly what John was thinking.

John nodded back, replying, "By letting people know."

.

**Serenity**

**Galley**

Malcolm Reynolds stood at the head of the table, cylinder recording in hand, scanning the filled up seats where every one of his crew members had their eyes on him, waiting, watching, and listening.

"This report is maybe twelve years old," Mal guessed, fingering the device. "Parliament buried it and it stayed buried 'til River dug it up. This is what they feared she knew. And they were right to fear… because there's a whole universe of folk that are gonna know it too." He held up the recording. "They're gonna see it. Somebody has to speak for these people."

He paused but no one spoke, each and every person waiting for him to continue. "Y'all got on this boat for different reasons," he said solemnly. "But you all come to the same place. So now I'm asking more of you than I have before. Maybe all. Sure as I know anything I know this. They will try again. Maybe on another world, maybe on this very ground swept clean. A year from now, ten, they'll swing back to the belief that they can make people… better." His gaze lowered down to River. "And I do not hold to that. So no more running. I aim to misbehave."

Mal eyed them all, waiting for their reaction. He had to admit he was surprised when Jayne spoke up first.

"Shepherd Book used to say, if you can't do something smart," Jayne began, taking a swig of his drink. "Do something right." He slid the cup across the table to Simon, as a token of… well, maybe not quite friendship. Jayne's consensus seemed to speak for the rest of the crew.

But that still left two. "Connor? Cameron?" Mal questioned. "What about you two? You've made it awful clear that you're not a part of my crew."

"We're not quitting," John said boldly. "We've come this far. People have to know the truth about this. We can't let them make the same mistake again."

"No fate but what we make," Cameron added.

Mal puzzled over that for a split second. "No fate but what we make…cute maxim, but I like mine better."

Cameron seemed perplexed, looking to John and asking, "What was his?"

"Something about misbehaving," John replied. "Fitting."

"In a way, they are right," Mal admitted. "No fate but what we make. We make our own path, set things right in the 'verse."

"How?" Simon asked. "Do we have a plan?"

Mal nodded. "Mr. Universe. We haven't the equipment to broadwave this code but he can put it on every screen for thirty worlds. He's pretty close too."

River spoke up quietly, "Based on our orbital trajectories, he reached optimum proximity just before our sunset. If we make a direct run within the hour, we're only 67,332 miles out. At full burn we'd reach him inside of three hours."

Everyone stared at her blankly, and John nudged Cameron playfully. "Sounds like something you'd say."

Mal had to agree, though, that River seemed better. Still quirky, yes, but she was no longer haunted by the memory of Miranda she had carried for all these years since the Academy. She seemed happier, more alive.

It was a nice relief to see.

"We still got the Reavers and the Alliance between us and him," Wash pointed out.

"That's two armies against our one bitty cannon," Jayne added.

Zoe concurred, "It's a fair bet the Alliance knows about Mr. Universe. They're gonna see this coming."

Mal's lips twitched imperceptibly. "No," he replied, a plan already forming. "They're not gonna see this coming."

.

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

Mal stood behind Wash's chair, in front of the viewscreen where his pilot was speaking to Mr. Universe once again.

"No problem!" Mr. Universe said animatedly. "Bring it on, bring it on, bring it on. From here to the eyes and ears of the verse. That's my motto… or it might be, if I start having a motto."

"We won't be long," Wash informed him.

"You're gonna get caught in the ion cloud," Mr. Universe warned. "It'll play merry hob with your radar but pretty pretty lights and a few miles after you'll be right in my orbit."

"You'll let us know if anyone else comes at you?" Wash asked.

Mr. Universe gave a broad smile. "You'll be the first."

Wash cut the communication and turned to Mal and the rest of the crew. "What do you think?"

Cameron and River spoke at the same time. "He's lying."

Wash raised an eyebrow. "Should we take a vote?"

"No need," Mal replied. "They're right. He's lying. I can tell."

Kaylee frowned, curiously. "How so?"

Mal nodded to the screen. "Pupils is all dilapidated."

"_Di_lated." Simon corrected.

"That's what I said," Mal replied.

Zoe checked the nav-charts. "Sir, you'd best get into position."

"Right," Mal agreed, heading out of the cockpit.

.

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

John had been impressed when the Captain had come up with this plan. It was brash and daring, but John had no doubt that it would work. Wash kept _Serenity _steady as he floated her through the Reaver space once more.

This time around, though, a small Reaver ship began tailing them… which is exactly what Mal had planned on.

"Wash?" Mal's voice came over the comm..

"Now!" Wash hollered.

Up at _Serenity's_ cannon, John knew Mal had just sprung into action, firing repeatedly at the little Reaver ship. He watched from the cockpit window as the ship broke apart.

It drew the attention of all fifty other Reaver ships – many of them at least five times larger than _Serenity. _

"Full burn!" Zoe shouted.

Wash punched it, zooming through the black with the Reavers on their tail. "What I would give to see the faces on the Alliance when we bring this down on them," he said gleefully.

Mal had re-entered the ship and soon they'd arrived on the outskirts of Mr. Universe's moon and entered the ion cloud that Mr. Universe had warned them about. As they broke through, he saw what waited for them: hundreds of Alliance ships.

Cameron and River had been right. Mr. Universe had been lying.

John could imagine the look of horror on the Operative's face as he saw the Reavers break through the ion cloud. It was almost equal to the look he himself had expressed when he had seen the mass of Alliance warships waiting for them.

Even with the Reavers, _Serenity_ would still have to navigate through all the Alliance ships to reach the surface, amidst the laser fire and warring ships. John turned to Wash, who had a firm grip on the controls, then to Cameron, instantly knowing what had to happen.

"Cameron…" he began.

Cameron took a step forward and Wash seemed to deduce the move entirely. "I can do it. I am a leaf on the wind."

"Listen!" John said strongly. "You may as well be the best pilot in the entire galaxy, but you can't compare to her. She's the most sophisticated learning computer in the entire world…well, galaxy. Maybe the only one now. You need her help."

Wash winced and reluctantly handed over the controls.

Cameron almost instantly twirled the ship, avoiding the first wave of missiles from the Alliance cruisers. John held on for dear life.

"We're too close for them to arm…" Mal told her. "Best we keep it that way."

Jayne arrived in the doorway, staring out the cockpit window. "Hey look, we're upside down!"

Mal whipped his head around. "Jayne, get in the back, get everyone strapped in!"

Jayne hurried back towards the galley. John kept his eyes on Cameron, who had a steady hand on the controls, flying them in between volleys of laser blasts and ducking between both Reaver and Alliance ships.

"She flies like a pro," Mal remarked.

"Well, of course!" Wash exclaimed, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "I can't compete with a computer!"

John's eyes flashed. "She's not just a computer."

This time Wash held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, that's not what I meant. I meant, she's still using a computer in her head. That's kind of an unfair advantage."

Cameron dodged another laser blast and continued down towards the moon. "There's a Reaver behind us."

Wash peeked out the window. "Ah, yes, I'll bet… that he's trying to shoot us…"

Mal pointed on the readout. "We need to set down somewhere near that hanger." A blast rocked the ship and John nearly jolted from his chair.

"Get that Reaver off our tail!" Mal shouted.

"What would you like me do?" Wash demanded. "Blast it!" he realized. "I'm not even the one flying this thing! Do you think shadow puppets will work for distracting Reavers?"

"You can't slow down for a landing," John said worriedly. "That Reaver ship'll blow us out of the sky."

"You gotta glide it in," Wash advised.

"Will that work?" Zoe protested.

"Yes," Cameron stated.

John hesitated. "Will it hurt?"

"Yes."

Mal grabbed the comm. "Buckle up." Wash and Zoe moved back into the ship with the rest of the crew, strapping in for the crash landing. Cameron did as Wash had suggested, coming it at an angle and attempting to glide the ship right into the hanger.

John jolted when _Serenity _touched the ground, the impact so rough that his teeth rattled. Cameron's expression never changed, her hands never shook.

And her calculations had been exact.

_Serenity _screeched to a stop directly at the end of the hanger.

John let out a deep breath, happy to be still alive after the mind-numbing ordeal. He glanced up out the cockpit window, seeing the Reaver ship come in above them. "Reavers up top-."

He saw the harpoon coming from the ship. And it was like he knew instinctively that it would break through the window and pierce the pilot's chair. It must have been an unconscious knowledge that the Reavers would want to take out _Serenity's _pilot, wanting to keep them grounded.

Before the massive harpoon broke through the window, John had thrown himself at Cameron, knocking her out of the pilot's chair.

He felt the harpoon pierce through his own body instead.

He'd never given much thought to how he would die; what his death would be like. But somehow he'd always believed that it would be a Terminator who would finally catch up to him, that'd he'd be shot or strangled to death by a metal hand. He'd never imagined this. He'd never imagined this much _pain. _But as he saw the panic on Cameron's usually expressionless face, he realized that dying in the place of one he loved was the best way to go. He'd ended up being a hero after all.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded. "Why'd you take my place? I'm just a machine."

"No, you're not." He winced through the pain, feeling blackness closing in. _No. Oh, God, no please. Give me one more minute with her. _"You've always been the one…to protect me. It…it was my turn."

He heard Mal's concerned voice cut through. "Cameron, we have to go…"

John looked up at the tears on Cameron's face. It was the first time he'd ever seen her cry. He hadn't even known she was capable. "Help—Mal. Can't stop the signal."

His time was running out, he could feel it. Cameron's eyes widened when he groaned from the pain. "Save her, Cameron…save my mother. Promise me." She had to live to see the future; they'd find another way to stop Skynet. She wouldn't have to die. Cameron could go back in time and prevent all of this from happening.

"Promise."

Pain flared as he reached forward to grip her hand tightly.

"Cameron…I love you…I've always loved you… never forget that. No matter how different I may seem when you go back, never forget that…"

The blackness he'd been warding off finally started to win out. His whole body was numb, no longer feeling the pain. Spots danced in his eyes. The last thing he felt was the warm pressure of Cameron's lips against his and her soft voice whispering, "I promise you, John Connor. I will never forget."

And John Connor faded away.


	12. No Fate in the Verse

**Chapter Twelve:**

**No Fate in the Verse**

**Mr. Universe's Moon**

**Hanger**

Mal hadn't been able to wait any longer.

He'd been unable to pull Cameron away from John's dead body and he knew she wouldn't leave him. Right then and there, he realized that it wasn't just that she had failed in her programmed mission to protect him. It was more than that. As bizarre as it seemed for a cyborg, she really had loved him.

Zoe had run to the cockpit to meet him after the rest of the crew had started towards the interior of the facility. She had seen John lying in Wash's chair, a massive harpoon impaling him there. She had seen Cameron leaning over him.

Before she could open her mouth to speak, Mal ushered her out quickly and they raced down the ramp and into the facility, aware that more Reaver ships had arrived. Zoe looked up at him.

"Cameron's not coming?" she asked.

Mal suppressed his emotions. "Don't think that's like to happen."

"She staying with him," Zoe stated, her voice low. "He's gone isn't he?"

Mal paused. "Yes." For the longest time, all he'd been concerned with was keeping Connor and Cameron in their place – or off his boat. But they'd grown on him, both of them. They'd saved his life.

He'd liked the kid.

He pushed aside the thoughts and hurried deeper into the facility, meeting up with the rest of the crew.

"Zoe, what've we got?"

Zoe observed the room's strengths and weaknesses. "Sir, this is a good hold point."

Mal protested, "We all stay together."

Zoe met his gaze firmly. "No. We're not together anymore, Cap'n." She nodded towards the hallway they'd come from. "They have to come through here. They'll bottleneck, we can thin them out. We get pushed back, those are blast doors."

Kaylee piped in helpfully, "I can rig them so they won't reopen once they close."

"Shut them and hide until I get—."

"We need to draw them 'til it's done," Zoe countered. "This is the place. We'll buy you the time."

Mal saw the determination in her eyes, the need to avenge Connor's death, Book's death, to avenge what had been done to River.

Mal nodded once and Jayne began moving towards the crates. "Alright let's move those crates back there for cover. Make sure they ain't filled with nothing goes boom."

"Yes, that would not be pleasant," Wash agreed, taking one end of the crate and helping Jayne scoot it backwards.

Kaylee was the first to notice the two missing crew members. "Wait, where's John and Cameron?"

Mal shook his head solemnly. "They… ain't comin'."

Kaylee's face crumbled as tears welled in her eyes. Mal hated seeing her in such a way. "You mean…?" she breathed.

"Connor's dead," Mal said. "She's with him. They ain't comin'." Inara looked up at Mal, her eyes sympathetic as if she had known how much he'd come to appreciate the two. Kaylee was still stunned, and Simon hugged River tightly.

Horror filled Wash's face. "_Ai ya…" _he breathed. "That would've been me…" He drew Zoe into a hug, clutching her tightly. Mal turned away from the scene and stalked into the elevator.

Zoe was right. It was time for the Reavers, the Alliance to pay for what they'd done, for the lives they'd stolen.

.

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

Cameron remained dutifully at John's side, even after the last breath had left his body. Her sensors picked up the coming of the Reavers even before they reached the cockpit. Cameron turned, facing them for the first time.

When she did, she cocked her head, studying them intently. They appeared to be exactly as Kaylee, Jayne, and the rest of the crew had described. They were humanoid, but mutilated beyond the point of recognition. They didn't speak, only growled and screeched, wielding their axes and blades.

The first one moved forward and Cameron calculated the exact point of impact. She twisted to the side, allowing the Reaver's blade to bypass her. As she came back around, she grabbed the Reaver's blade and ripped it from his grip. The creature was surprisingly strong, she noted, adding their approximate strength into her calculations. She fiercely kicked one circling Reaver straight into the computer equipment on _Serenity's _bridge. Then she whipped her commandeered blade up, slashing its owner's neck.

The remaining Reavers screamed in rage and kept coming, but Cameron kept moving, brutally countering the Reavers' attacks with her own. Finally, the entire boarding party lay dead all across the ship and Cameron grabbed her gun and moved to the outside of the ship, following Mal's path into the facility.

.

**Mr. Universe's Moon**

**Generator Room**

Malcolm Reynolds dropped to the ground, choking on blood. He was beaten, bruised, and bloodied, and the Operative had driven a nice hole in his chest with that gorram sword. The pain was overwhelming but Mal had pushed it aside and continued the fight. Until the Operative had landed another blow that sent Mal reeling to the floor in the Generator room, only feet from the console that could send the Miranda report to every screen in the 'Verse.

The Operative stood above him, looking down at Mal with something like pity in his eyes. "Have you given up, Captain?" he questioned. "I presume you didn't believe as strongly as you claimed."

From his position down below, Mal tried to move, wincing as pain shot through his entire body. But he remembered words that John Connor had spoke to him when he'd first arrived on Mal's boat.

"_A leader is someone who believes in something strongly enough to fight for it_."

With River... and Miranda… Mal had finally found something to believe, just as Shepherd Book had told him to. He believed that the galaxy needed to know the truth. He believed that River deserved to live free. He believed that John Connor was right, that Mal finally did have something to truly fight for. He looked up at the Operative and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Even if you kill me, you'll never see her," he snarled, his voice laced with venom. _I'll make sure of that._

The Operative cocked his head. "Are you so attached to that girl that you'll play the fool?"

"_That girl_," Mal growled, slowly struggling to his feet, "has been through Hell itself at the hands of your precious Alliance. You're the fool if you think I'd let you take her back there."

The Operative held his sword poised at the ready. "So you're willing to die for that girl?"

John had, Mal knew. The only reason Connor had come on this trip was for the sole purpose of helpin' and protectin' River. And he'd died for that. And so would Mal, if it came down to it.

Mal's eyes narrowed, staring determinedly at the Operative. "I am."

The Operative seemed neither impressed nor incredulous at his bold statement. "Then this moon shall be your grave…"

.

**Mr. Universe's Moon**

Cameron proceeded deeper into the facility, using her enhanced hearing to pick up the faint sounds of _Serenity's _crew. The Reavers were right on her tail, and Cameron turned, shooting one through the head. She could see the blast doors up ahead were partially closed. She could see bloodstains from behind the crates where the crew had been taking cover. They were all life signatures, but some were growing weaker.

In the split second she took to assess the safety of the crew, a Reaver slashed at her face and another knocked her backward. Cameron dropped her pistol and grabbed the Reaver's spear with both hands, thrusting it forward into the chest of one Reaver and then backwards into the stomach of the Reaver who was still holding it.

"_Very last one." _She could barely pick up Jayne's voice. A second later, a grenade came through the blast doors. The explosion knocked her backwards. It also killed the first batch of Reavers that were in the room.

"_They're gonna get in," _she heard Zoe say. Moments later, the rest of the Reavers were crawling into the room, stepping cavalierly over the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Three ambushed Cameron at once and she dropped her pistol in order to catch two of their blades. Another Reaver picked up her dropped pistol and spun wildly towards the half open blast doors, shooting a bullet through.

The shot crackled through the air, and Cameron heard the grunt. Simon. His life signature dropped significantly.

Several other bullets were flying out of the blast doors – from both Jayne and Zoe. Some of the rounds hit their Reavers targets, a few even clipped Cameron.

"River… I'm… I'm sorry," she heard Simon whisper, his voice weak. "I… I hate to leave."

"You won't!" River insisted. "You take care of me, Simon. You've always taken care of me. My turn…"

It was the same thing John had said to Cameron as he lay dying. Like father like daughter. River came through the hole, grabbing Simon's medical bag and tossing it in, then closing the blast doors completely, taking on the Reavers with Cameron.

They were two polar opposites, one feeling nothing, one feeling everything. One fighting with force and strength, the other with grace and finesse.

But they fit together.

They were a part of each other.

Both had lost someone. Both were fighting for the future, for second chances, for life.

River looked towards Cameron even as her small fist moved to punch a Reaver in the jaw.

"No power in the 'verse can stop us…"

.

**Mr. Universe's Moon**

**Generator Room**

Mal limped into the lift, trying to ignore the sound of the Miranda recording that was playing, broadcasting to the whole 'verse. He'd left the Operative pinned to the railing, unable to speak, being forced to watch the horrific recording of what the Alliance had done in their attempt to create "a better world."

Mal exited the lift to see his crew scattered across the ground, the blast doors in front of them closed up tight. Inara was leaning over Simon, keeping pressure on what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his stomach. Kaylee was laying on a crate and Mal could see several pricks in her neck from poison darts. Jayne was wincing and clutching his shoulder – and his gun. And Zoe appeared to have some sorta spine injury.

He didn't see River at all.

"Where's River?" he demanded.

Inara met his gaze, her face twisted in remorse. For a moment, Mal felt his heart stop. Had she fallen to the Reavers? After all he'd done to keep her safe and protected from the Alliance, it was a gorram Reaver that had felled her?

Suddenly the blast doors opened, and Mal breathed a sigh of relief. Standing in the middle of the room was not only River, but Cameron as well. River had a Reaver ax and blade in both hands, Cameron had her pistol, covering River's back. Scattered all around them were dozens of corpses - every single Reaver that had come in after them.

Before Mal could congratulate them on their fine handiwork, the back wall was yanked out, sending mortar and dust everywhere. And the Feds entered, their guns trained on both figures in the middle of the room.

River didn't move from the pile of bodies. Cameron, however, spun, cocking her pistol and keeping it trained on the soldiers. Everyone remained frozen, waiting.

"River Tam, freeze! And… River Tam…" The Feds seemed to hesitate, aiming first at River, then at Cameron. "Sir! We have…erm…_two _River Tams here."

Predictably, the Operative was silent.

"Do we have an order?" the Fed demanded.

Mal spoke up, "Oh, um, I might've accidentally punched out his vocal cords."

"Accidentally?" Inara hissed.

Despite the situation, Mal shrugged. "Well, accidentally on purpose…"

"Targets are acquired," the Feds continued, trying to contact their boss. "Do we have a kill order? Do we have an order?"

Mal was trying his best to run the numbers. If the Feds starting shooting, would Cameron be able to take them out and protect River at the same time? And, would River even need protecting? Mal had to admit that her and Cameron takin' on all them Reavers would have been a sight to behold, but was even River quick enough to dodge an Alliance bullet if they all started firing at once?

The Feds tightened their grip on their weapons and River responded by doing the same with her Reaver blades, fresh blood still dripping from the edge.

"Stand down," a voice said over the comm. Mal recognized the Operative's voice. The man coughed harshly, saying, "It's finished. We're finished."

The Feds all lowered their weapons and both Cameron and River turned towards Mal, who let out a big sigh of relief as he looked from them to the rest of his crew who were still lying down with their many injuries.

Mal couldn't help himself.

"One big happy…" he winced as he stepped forward. "…very wounded family."

* * *

_author's note: Next week will be the last chapter/epilogue. :)_


	13. The Good Wound

**Epilogue**

**The Good Wound**

_**Serenity**_

**Infirmary**

Mal winced as Simon pulled the bandage tight around his torso, where the Operative's blade had pierced his stomach. He noticed that Simon had also grimaced at the pain of the movement, recalling that the Doc himself had a bullet hole through his own belly, courtesy of the Reavers.

In fact, everyone had been in and out of the infirmary ever since they'd gotten the word out. Jayne and his multiple battle wounds, Zoe's spine injury, Kaylee's darts to the neck.

"There is something of interest to me," he began, addressing Simon. "How could it be that your sister took on a whole roomful of Reavers all by her onesome – well, with some cyborg assistance - and is the only one of us to come out of that fight without a ruttin' scratch?"

Simon smiled coyly. "We all have our strengths. River's is… being strong."

Mal raised an eyebrow, which only caused his bruised eye to strain. "Now don't you be talkin' in riddles too, Doctor," he cautioned, wincing again. "All the drugs you got me on, I got no patience for it."

"I can imagine," Simon agreed.

"I got stabbed, you know," Mal reminded him, gingerly touching his stomach. "Right here."

"Yes, I can see that."

"I ain't gonna bleed to death, right? I just ask on account of I'm interested."

Simon cracked another smile. "No, you'll live." His grin faded as quickly as it had come. "Which is more than I can say for some."

Mal didn't have to ask who Simon was referring to. "Connor."

Simon hesitated. "I know he wasn't part of the crew, but—."

"Yes, he was," Mal replied firmly. He glanced away, his voice growing distant. "They all were."

.

**Haven**

**Funeral Site**

Cameron observed the three stone memorials that were set up for Mr. Universe, Shepherd Book, and for John. The entire crew was there, grieving.

Zoe and Wash.

Kaylee and Simon were holding hands. River was on her brother's other side.

Even Mal and Inara seemed to be acting civil.

And Jayne… well, there wasn't much improvement on Jayne's part but nobody had expected any.

Everyone had their happy ending.

Except Cameron.

"Don't worry," Mal said with a reassuring smile. "We'll get you back home. Just as soon as _Serenity_'s space-worthy again."

Cameron looked down at the note she had written to John, just like he'd told her so long ago. _Sometimes things happen and they are so bad that people just don't know how to deal with their sadness so they write it in a note. _

All John had ever wanted was peace. But instead, he'd found Serenity. And it had killed him.

Cameron taped her note to the rocket and River came forward, handing her the flare.

"John has his own Serenity now," she said softly.

Cameron lit the rocket and followed it with her eyes as it disappeared into the sky. "No," she replied softly. "He'll be back."

.

**Persephone**

**Repair Yard**

Everyone had been doing their part to patch up _Serenity. _Wash had a sneaky suspicion that Simon and Kaylee hadn't been getting much progress done in the engine room, but everyone else seemed to be hard at work. Cameron of course being a cyborg had the ability to work day in and day out on anything and everything. Even Inara had made herself of use, repainting _Serenity_'s symbol and name back on the side of the ship.

As Wash worked in the cockpit alongside their resident psychic genius, he still couldn't get their fallen comrade John Connor out of his mind, knowing that if he – Wash - had been piloting that day, he wouldn't be standing here right now getting electrocuted by loose wires.

"You're the reader, kid," Wash said, glancing over at River who was on her back under the co-pilot's seat, tweaking something under there. "Did you know? That John was gonna die?"

"Yes," River replied.

"Why didn't you try to stop him? You could have saved him from dying."

"John's not dead," River said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's lost in the past but he'll be back. She'll go back for him and it will be as if this never happened. We can't forget. We have to remember. It had to be him. Or it would have been you."

Wash looked away. It was a fact he already knew all too well. "He died because of me."

"No," River corrected. "Because Zoe needs to meet her child someday."

Wash stared speechless as River stood up and headed out of the cockpit, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He remembered the talk he and Zoe had had about having a child. Zoe had put her foot down that it would happen someday though Wash had tried to convince that it wasn't the best time to bring a little person into the 'verse.

Wash remained in the cockpit, working hard until he saw Zoe appear in the entry way. She apparently noticed his distant manner.

"Still thinking 'bout Connor?" she asked.

"It would have been me," Wash whispered.

Zoe stared at him sympathetically. "Baby…"

"He died… instead of me." Wash looked up at her. "But I guess being so close to death got me thinking. Do you remember a discussion we had about a certain young person we've not yet met?"

Zoe seemed surprised. "Hmm?"

"I think I'm ready to meet that child, too."

.

**Persephone**

_**Serenity**_

"Sir, we have a green light," Zoe announced as Mal entered the cargo bay. "Inspection's pos and we're cleared for up-thrust."

Mal gave her a brisk nod. They had a long trip to get to Earth-That-Was, after he dropped Inara back off with her girls – if she still wanted to go that was. And he could debate that all the long day but he was almost certain Inara wouldn't want to stay – not with _Serenity _and not with him.

Zoe was still waiting for an order and Mal finally pulled himself back to the present. "Make sure everything's secure," he said. "Could be bumpy."

Zoe nodded her agreement, striding away, remarking, "Always is."

Mal headed up towards the cockpit, running into Inara along the way. "You ready to get off this heap?" Mal asked her as he passed by, continuing towards the cockpit. "Back to civilized life?"

"I…uh…" Inara hesitated and Mal turned back around, staring at her curiously. _Hope_fully.

"I don't know," she finished.

Mal smiled. "Good answer."

"But Mal," she continued before he could depart. "If I stay, it has to be for the right reason."

Mal took a few steps closer to her, staring down at her with an intensity he'd rarely used with her. "Stay because…because I…I love you, Inara. I think some part of me always has. I couldn't stand it if you left again."

Inara smiled softly. "Good answer."

.

_**Serenity**_

**Cockpit**

River was sitting in the cockpit, co-flying with Wash. Kaylee and Simon were behind her, holding hands and sharing a special smile, as if they were a normal family.

River had the controls at the moment and Wash had taken advantage of the distraction to play with his dashboard dinosaurs.

"He's got you roped in tight, huh?" Kaylee joked. "All work no play?"

River turned and smiled back at Kaylee, all the while continuing to fly without looking. "I can win anything we play."

Kaylee grinned. "Is that a challenge I hear? Alright, genius, let's do it!"

River looked over at Mal questioningly. "Captain?"

Mal sighed. "Alright, you two have fun." River jumped out of the co-pilot's chair, letting Mal take her place. Mal watched as Kaylee and River started running towards the galley.

"Keep out of trouble, now, you hear?"

Simon shrugged in a "what can you do" manner, turning to follow his sister and girlfriend, the sounds of their laughs echoing up through the cockpit.

.

**Earth-That-Was**

**Zeira Corp Site**

**2517**

Cameron had led _Serenity's _crew back to the former Zeira Corp where she and John had first mistakenly arrived in this future. There, the entire crew – even a reluctant Jayne – had helped Cameron and Kaylee rebuild the TDE.

It was a long process, but with the whole crew working together – and especially Kaylee's mechanical genius and River's affinity for just about everything – they had completed it quicker than any Cameron had seen built in the future.

"Well, it may not look pretty," Kaylee said with a grin, "but it's runnin'. I hope you find him."

Cameron smiled slightly. "I will."

Kaylee powered up the machine and Cameron stepped forward into the circle. She locked eyes with the Captain. Mal inclined his head at her, smiling ever so slightly as the bubble formed around Cameron.

The room was filled with blinding white light.

.

**Connor Residence**

**LA, California**

**2009**

Cameron stepped into the Connor's house, instantly spotting a very much alive Sarah Connor.

"Tin Miss," Sarah greeted. "Where have you been?"

"If I told you, you still wouldn't know," Cameron replied.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, frowning at the cryptic statement. Derek came in from the kitchen, holding a plate of pancakes.

"Where's John?" Cameron asked.

At that moment, John came downstairs. He met Cameron's gaze but quickly looked away, walking towards the door. Cameron followed him, watching impassively as he opened the door, revealing Riley standing on the porch.

"Hey, John," she said cheerfully. She saw Cameron standing behind him and was quick to greet her too. "Hey, Cameron."

Cameron remained silent, staring at Riley. John sent Cameron a glare and moved out the door. "Let's just go," he said irritably.

Riley shot Cameron a sickly sweet smile and tugged John out the door. Cameron watched from the window as they walked down the sidewalk together. John must have known she'd be watching him, for he sent a quick glare back towards the window before he disappeared down the street.

Cameron followed him with her eyes until he was out of sight, remembering the words he'd spoken as he lay dying inside _Serenity_'s cockpit.

_I love you. I've always loved you. Never forget that._

And Cameron smiled.


End file.
